Naruto 1. Fox Hunt

Disclaimer: Naruto is the intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto and his publishers. Furthermore, this work is based on "A Growing Affection", a fanfiction by Xavon Wrentaile available on this website.

**Chapter 1: Foxhunt**

It began in a forest. This forest, in fact. There were more than enough forests in the Land of Fire that one could get confused. Though the forest itself was not the reason for the confusion of the young fox who scampered through the thick, neglected undergrowth.

Something had disturbed him while he was lounging atop a rock in the rare clearing, and he could tell there was still something after him, though he could not quite tell what it was.

To shake it off, he squeezed through a thorny brush, but after a few meters the presence was still there, and he had lost speed.

Still confused, he followed his instincts and fled on, charging straight at the next safe patch of undergrowth, parting the long blades of wild grass that populated the sunny spots between the trees. And suddenly something struck the ground in front of him.

Stopping from a dead run, he yelped from surprise, eyes and ears frantically searching for refuge from the danger. But the moment of hesitation cost him dearly, when all went dark.

With a look of dismay, the young girl lifted the struggling brown bag and tied a complicated knot in the fastening rope, only then relaxing. "I've got him", she said with a level voice into the radio, not betraying her short breath.

It took a moment until there was an answer, and it was not what she expected. However, she did manage to dodge.

"I would've gotten him before you", insisted the boy who had narrowly missed her. He was rather tall for his age, with a natural tan, dark hair and unmistakable Inuzuka Clan markings. A small dog scrambled to catch up with him.

The girl shook her head. "I was already ahead of him. If you want to catch him, use your chances.", she stated decidedly.

"But you scared him away! Me and Kinmaru could've encircled him.", the boy insisted loudly.

"Like in the clearing, when you tripped on a root and woke him up in the first place?", she needled.

The boy blushed and hastily blurted out a cover story, "That wasn't me, it was Ken!" As if to support his human, the gold-blonde hound Kinmaru chimed in with a short, happy bark.

"What was me?", a third voice asked from the same tree the tan Inuzuka had jumped down from, which startled the lad despite his good nose.

But even startled, he stood his ground. "You made some noise and scared off the fox!", the Inuzuka accused.

The other boy, high up on a branch, crumpled his forehead in mock reminiscence. "Hm, no, I can't remember doing that. But I did hear somebody trip over a root."

"Quite. Also, I did in fact see Kuroyuuki-kun trip, right before I had to give chase to our little thief here.", she presented the still-turbulent bag with the fox, a slight sparkle in her currently brown eyes.

"Don't call me Kuroyuuki! It's a girl's name!", the boy with the all-too-patient dog looking up to him complained.

"It's your name", she shrugged.

Exasperated, the tan boy conceded at least his much. "Well yes it is, but at least call me Kuroi."

"I don't think it fits you, I mean, calling you black would imply at least some stealth, wouldn't it?", the other boy joked up on his perch.

"How about Yuuki? You can make that reckless resolve that drove you to sneaking so fast that you stumbled your strong point.", the girl chimed in with a teasing smirk.

"Would you give it a rest?", he pouted. The other two children chuckled, and even his dog let his tongue hang out in an amused expression. Even Yuuki couldn't help but smile at that.

"Actually, if you fixed your sneaking, you wouldn't be half bad", the girl said openly, afflicting her dog-holding teammate with a slight blush.

"Uh, you think?", he inquired hesitantly.

"Well yeah, after all, we're hunting down thieving foxes in the countryside because you fell from the rafters in that storehouse and we had to put down the smugglers before they met their contact.", she qualified with a half-serious mien.

"That… er… that wasn't my fault! The beams were slippery!", he tried to play it down.

"Then why didn't you use chakra to cling to them?", asked Ken, who had at some point turned upside down and now squatted on the underside of the branch, seemingly without strain.

"They were… very slippery.", the tan Inuzuka weakly defended. His expression looked guilty.

"Come on, we were making fun of you.", the girl said with a reconciliatory smile, punching him lightly.

"It wasn't very funny." Yuuki said in a tone of complaint.

"I think it was.", Ken shot back with a smirk and let himself fall down. Somehow, he managed to land on his feet despite hanging upside down.

"Nobody asked you.", the Inuzuka complained cheerfully.

Another round of laughter, this time openly. When the chuckles died down, somebody appeared from between the trees. There wasn't much doubt she had been waiting for them to end their squabble. She wanted her daughter to befriend her teammates on her own terms, after all.

"Ah, there you are.", Yugao said simply.

"Hello, Yugao-kaa… sensei. We caught the fox." Rei Uchiha held up the bag, now mostly still. One could hear a fearful whine from the inside.

"You didn't put a genjutsu on him?" The purple-haired women asked curiously. She didn't look like she had given birth, even as Reis second sibling was slowly growing up.

"Oh shoot!" Rei dropped her normally calm demeanor and put the bag half-gently on the ground before she started signing. "Ninja Arts: Peace and Quiet.", she shouted after a rapid series of hand seals.

The fox, whose outline could be seen where he tried to bite his way out of the bag, suddenly ceased his attempts to escape the rough-hewn prison. There was nothing to be afraid of, after all.

Rei lifted the bag again, and the fox didn't do much besides rolling himself in to avoid falling over from the movement. "Where are we supposed to drop him off now?", the black-haired, brown-eyed bearer of the Sharingan asked a bit sheepishly.

Her mother by adoption looked up to the meridian sun, squinting a little. "Area C7 on the big map, about half an hour from here. Don't get lost, please.", she said with a wink and vanished from sight.

After a second to process what she had said, the three children groaned. She really wasn't going to let them off easy.

* * *

While her charges fiddled with the map to find the best path, Yugao went back to observing them from afar. She had taken a page from her husband's book in having a similarly relaxed teaching style, but she gave the young Genin even more slack in their tasks, despite claims to the contrary. It still was difficult to step back so much after years of doting on her… well, Itachi's daughter actually, but she was hers as much as the two she had born herself.

The three took off after only a short discussion, and seemingly in the right direction. They had probably missed the easy way across the river, a rock formation with a small gap between the opposing banks, but that was mostly for bonus points, anyway. She would have to tell them afterwards if they really did miss it, but at least Rei and Ken Takamichi could already walk on water, and Kuroyuuki… well he was a good swimmer.

Just when she was standing up to follow the three Ninja and the dog bounding across the treetops, her phone rang. Well, vibrated actually, she wasn't going to make finding her too easy for the kids. Yugao Hatake casually snapped the sleek, new device open and continued tracking. Even before speaking, she took off and trailed behind the youngsters in a leisurely pace, at least for her standards.

"Yes, this is Yugao, who's speaking?", the women asked semi-formal, expecting a worried Kakashi to answer. Instead, the chakra-bonded circuits transmitted Naruto's voice. "It's me, Yugao. Are you and the kids done with your task?", he said with a rare anxious vibe. The wife of the Hokage's teacher unconsciously started concealing her jumps more when she took in the atmosphere.

"We're nearly done. Is something the matter, Hokage?" Her voice was serious. Unlike normally, the person on the other end of the line didn't complain about being called by his title.

"Toro and his squad are on a mission nearby, but their target injured Hibiki and Jiraya and ran away. They can't pursue without putting the two of them in danger, but we can't just let the target be the way it is. Do you think your team can do it?" The voice betrayed much personal involvement. Even as a Kage, Naruto cared deeply about his friends and by extension his people, and the young member of a Hyuuga branch family as well as his late uncle's son were close to the heart.

Still, she needed to know more before she put herself, her charges and her daughter at risk, even if she had to stop herself from impulsively saying yes. "Maybe, but Hibiki and Jiraya are both injured? How bad is it?"

She heard a sigh. A bit more calmly, the Fire Shadow explained. "They were on a C-rank mission to clear out what we believed to be a few bandits with tags left over from the Shozoku War, but it was only one enemy, and she didn't use any tags, but some strange taijutsu that heavily injures whoever it hits. Hibiki said that girl's chakra was strange, and she had seals on her, but it didn't seem to be any Jinchuuriki we know.

They injured her, but she had at least some formal training, so she got away before Toro could get him without risking to kill him. They said she doesn't look older than Rei, and she had red hair, like Gaara.

Tsunade meant she might be from one of the exiled clans, and Hinata is browsing the archives just now, but we need to talk to her to know for sure. She didn't have any equipment, and her left arm is broken, so we don't think she can still shape ninjutsu. I still think you should fight her yourself and have the kids support you, just to be sure.", he urged. Yugao smirked, she had planned on that exact strategy.

"We can do it. Where is she?", she inquired, businesslike.

"Er, sector C6 on the big map. You know, the regional one.", Naruto said after a short pause.

"Dammit." That was right where Rei and the others were, and she had fallen back considerably. "I need to hurry. I'll tell you the results later."

"Yugao, wha…" But before the sentence was finished, she had already broken the connection and stowed her phone. Then, she cut loose.

* * *

Yuuki had somehow goaded both her and Ken into racing him, with Kinmaru failing to catch up, but still having as much fun as any of them.

"Shouldn't your dog normally be faster than you?", Rei voiced over nearly a dozen leaps to her lanky teammate.

"Well - he - needs to - train - more - so this - is - good - for him.", said that teammate in a much shorter breath. But that was misleading, he made much further and harder jumps, so he was one or two jumps ahead, with Ken trailing a few leaps behind them.

The naturally gray-haired Takamichi had the edge in skill over both of them, but his stamina was weak, and ever since her Kekkei Genkai had awakened, Rei caught up to him fast.

Speaking of catching up… "Gotcha!" The bright-skinned girl yelled when she vaulted Kuroyuuki's head while he was in the middle of his jump.

He nearly fell, but managed to grab onto a lower branch, where all he could see of her was a wink of a red-and-black eye and then only the blur of her speeding away. "Damn you, Rei!", he screamed out of the top of his lungs, before her slumped a little.

Wasn't he supposed to be showing her up?

To protect his honor from being sullied by even Ken streaking past him, he pushed himself off and landed back on a higher branch, dead set on taking back his lead. Though while he propelled himself forwards and upwards, he caught a whiff of a weak scent, and quickly checked the wind. It was coming from Rei's direction. "Hey, Rei!", he screamed even louder than before, even while he was picking up speed again.

Meanwhile, the girl was laughing in between breaths, she would have loved to take a photo of Kens silly face when she intercepted him. But running was more important, she couldn't very well let him pass her after this, now could she?

In her arms, the fox was still docile, even at this speed where she had to hold him tight, lest he might fall. With her more acute vision, she could make out the river in the distance, and with it her goal. The smell of victory…

"Huh?"

Somebody cut across her, a few branches lower, and at an unsteady pace.

It was a thin boy in rags, with a shock of dirty red hair and apparently a few injuries, if her "eye" for the details didn't fail her.

The race forgotten, she stopped, and called out to the stranger. "Hey! Redhead-kun!"

The figure jerked around, and nearly tripped on its next landing. But he didn't quite stop, Rei noticed a near-panicked twitch around the boy's eyes and a tensing of muscles, then he just ran, jumping from branch to branch even faster than before.

"Wait! You're injured, we can help you!", she yelled in futility, even while she gave chase.

The boy darted around on the lower levels, switching direction randomly in an attempt to shake her off, but she could see him well enough from this distance to anticipate his turns.

This was in earnest, no longer a fun race across the trees, and she tensed up a little. The fox had to wimper slightly before she noticed it was more than a bit.

Several hundred meters behind, Kuroi had picked up on the chase, and got a better picture of the situation than his teammate in the lead, albeit he only smelled it.

There was a stench of fear, and he got a hint of danger. Who- or whatever Rei had spotted felt cornered, and the girl was stressed. Like always, when there was going to be a fight or another difficult situation.

The tan boy redoubled his speed, and did his best trying to catch up while staying downwind, both for his nose's sake and in case it wasn't as human as it reeked.

Even further behind, Ken squinted his eyes to make out either Rei or Yuuki, but even with the Genjutsu he had layered on top of his above-average eyesight it just wasn't enough.

Maybe he should try learning from his teammate and try to enhance his nose for a while, but he didn't like dropping his increased eyesight much, and he had less practice with the smell enhancement, never mind that he didn't have much chakra to waste… okay, he was making excuses.

But there was yet another way. He slowed down a little, allowing himself to recover for a moment, while he scanned his surroundings. There!

He skipped sideways, but he narrowly missed. On a second attempts, two jumps later, he got it.

The smallish gold-haired dog struggled a bit in his grip, but he was mostly trying to lick his face, not to escape.

"Gah! There, shush!", he sputtered when the slobbering tongue hit his lips. "Now there goes my first kiss.", he commented wryly.

"Kinmaru, we need to catch up with Yuuki. Do you know which way he went?", Ken asked seriously.

*Bark*, was all what Kinmaru had to offer, before he resumed taking potshots at the grayhead's chin. Ken just assumed that meant yes, the dog seemed to understand anything his human said, too. "Then show me!"

The dog struggled free, and took off far to the South, away from the planned route.

After a moment of bafflement, Ken jumped after him. It wasn't what he would have liked to happen, but he was way slower than either of his teammates and he had lost sight of them, while the dog would at least have some idea where to look. Or sniff. And stuff.

* * *

At the top of the chain chase, the redheaded boy reached a small cliff that parted, but also accelerated the river, which shot out between some smooth rocks as a small, white waterfall, trailing out of sight deeper into the forest.

The cliff had a small plateau, and below it huge, broken boulders offered ample opportunity for even an unskilled jumper to cross the stream, just as the redhead may have planning to do. But this was also where Rei cut in front of him, and forced the boy to stop.

"Why are you running? I want to help you!", she yelled in outrage.

The boy shooks his head, mumbling. "I can't trust you." He was keeping his right arm close to the body, with several shallow, scabbed cuts on both of his arms, his legs, and even one above his eye, which had crusted over his eyebrow. Not to mention the bruises. He looked winded, and was thin to the point of being malnourished, his visible bones covered in rags which had long lost any semblance to clothes.

Still, he took a fighting stance. "Let me leave.", he growled.

Rei considered for a moment, but then she set down the fox. "I can't just leave you like this.", she stated, taking her own stance.

Without declaration, he jumped at her swinging, but she brushed aside the obvious attack, only to be forced backwards by a fast kick and an elbow thrust, missing her barely. She retreated a little, considering. He was obviously trained, and fast. Waiting him out wouldn't work.

"Sorry", she said, shifting into an attack stance, then kicking off.

She lead with a shallow jump kick, feinting that attack to plant her foot inside his reach and kneeing at him before launching launching a punch at his right, but he took the hit and painfully shoved away her arm before tackling her.

Caught off guard, she still managed to keep her footing and launched another taijutsu strike through the itch where he had shoved her, this time observing more carefully. The redhead caught knifed Rei's wrist, but the second strike landed and numbed his left arm, and she followed through with an elbow, to gain enough distance for a kick. But his footwork was better, he kicked her legs wide and hurt her shin before she could recover, meanwhile touching his hands together in a sloppy Tiger seal and pushing unformed fire chakra at her, but she noticed and dodged.

Well, if he wanted to play it that way… she signed a quick technique and cried "Suiton: Water Cuffs", raising four blobs from the river behind her to strike at the unwashed boy.

He looked at her in alarm, raising his good hand and trying to push the first blob aside while escaping, but it clung to him, and the other blobs swung around to trail. Somehow, he produced enough fire chakra to rip his hand out of the water, but he cried out in pain when the steam burnt him.

While the boy dodged the water narrowly with fast, backwards jumps, she prepared another technique to finally trap him, but then it was her turn to be alarmed. With a snap kick, he shattered one of the blobs closing in on him, and jabbed at the unstable projectile he had partly evaporated before, before he came at her with speed.

She hurried through the last signs and yelled: "Raiton: Spark Darts!", launching two more, faster projectiles at her foe, but he was already dodging, brushing past one of the water blobs and barely avoiding being caught, before he struck it with clawed fingers, somehow causing the whole cuff to explode towards her darts, absorbing much of their energy before they struck him, drawing a pained scream. He still managed to destroy the last cuff with a high kick before it could catch him.

In awe, Rei hesitated for a dangerous moment, while the redhead caught himself and attacked with Taijutsu again. She dodged the fierce punch, but had to block the knee, giving him the momentum to bring up his other knee and scoring a painful hit on her elbow and flank when she couldn't defend fast enough, but he lost that opening when he had to right himself again before punching left.

The Uchiha blocked, but even with both her hands busy, the attacker hammered his one-handed jabs home until he somehow burned her right arm, making her flinch. Fire again? Wasn't she supposed to use that? Pained, she moved her hands together, and tried to gain distance with a jump.

But he wasn't going to let her, as soon as she left the ground, he was next to her, tensing his muscles to push her away. She saw it, but she couldn't do more than cross her arms, and then there was a sharp pain before she tumbled across the rocky platform.

"Rei!", another boy's voice screamed through the stunned haze.

As soon as he had smelled blood being shed, Yuuki had pulled all the stops to reach Rei in time, but when he was in sight, some scruffy redhead smashed the last of the water bullets his teammate had to have summoned and threw her to the edge of the plateau after a momentary exchange, too fast for him to reach. Landing, he yelled the girl's name, but she was still breathing, even with bloody wounds and burn marks on her arms.

"You'll pay for that!", he raged at the unknown opponent, right when he was trying to escape. Kuroi was pleased to note that that guy was in even worse shape, though it didn't seem like all of it was Rei's handiwork. Time to add some wounds of his own: "Fire Release: Mortar Strike", he exclaimed, making a gesture like he was whistling. But instead of a whistle, a screeching bolt of fire arced over the guy in rags and exploded on the ground, cutting off his escape, which bought the tan dog trainer some seconds to exploit. He threw several Kunai at his startled opponent, and didn't even wait for them to hit before he charged in his next attack, "Gijuu Ninpou: Fore-Claws."

Somehow, the louse deflected all the Kunai, taking only a few more cuts, even with one arm. But that wasn't gonna safe him. Kuroi was already there and swiped with his now clawed hands at the opponent, right when he was open from defending against the knives.

That got the mutt some gouges on his chest when the first claw struck, but before the Inuzuka could score a second hit, the unnamed redhead caught his arm with the injured right before striking at the larger boy's shoulder while the second claw went wide, only scoring some shallow scratches.

Gnashing his teeth to endure the pain, the wounded boy held fast and pulled the Genin into a kick he couldn't quite dodge, toppling him over, but Kuroi reacted fast and lashed out while he fell, forcing his opponent back. His wrist hurt, and a quick look showed that his sleeve was somehow smoldering, which made him take off his coat in panic.

When he was finally rid of his sleeves, the boy was again trying to escape, but he wouldn't have that. "Raiton: Thunder Clap!", he intoned after a few quick signs, coating one of his still transformed hands in purple arcs and charging again.

The rags-wearer stood his ground, and the simplified variant of the thunder pressure technique missed narrowly, though the blast still caught its target and spared Kuroi of a counterattack, but now it was down to Taijutsu again, which was arguably not the tan male's strong point.

Still, he valiantly threw himself in with a rough fist combo, only to learn that his greater reach and power didn't do him much good against a stringy opponent who could dodge well, albeit he clipped the guy and kept him in the defensive, at least until he made a desperate call to slip below Kuroi's arms which worked out so well that he could knee the leaf ninja's groin before he bowed out. Needless to say, the larger boy fell to his knees in agony, while his opponent raised his fist for a killing strike.

Then Kinmaru bit him. The boy let loose a panicked, wordless scream, but then he managed something to make the young dog yip, crashing him into the ground where he tried to stand up again, wimpering.

Not even trying to look where his dog had come from, Kuroi flashed into action again, basically just tackling the much lighter youth without regards to style, and with both arms injured he could do little to avert the enraged mass of the dog-holder but be hit and tumble across the platform, ending up opposite of Rei, who still struggled to clear her head.

No such luck in case of the opponent, but even though he managed to stand up again, gingerly pushing off with his arms, he was bleeding from his new wound and had somehow gained deep red burns on top of it, while using his right arm still seemed to cause pain, and he was openly panting.

Though Kuroi also had some trouble standing, still stunned from the painful kneestrike, he was in much better shape.

Also, Ken was there. Through that didn't count for much.

The gray-headed Takamachi took stock of the situation, and while none of his teammates looked as damaged as their opponent, they still had bloodied their noses, so to speak. It came to him to end this. He began signing for a genjutsu, but the wounded redhead seemed to pick up on it before he was done. So be it. "Illusion Art: Limits of Exhaustion", he whispered, so the enemy wouldn't pick it up. It worked out just like that, the enemy didn't pick up the illusion, and just continued to charge.

Baffled, but still in control, Ken took out some of his needles and threw, but his enemy shifted his hands in the way, keeping them away from the dangerous locations. "Gah!" Instead of meeting the charge, he switched himself out against a near branch, but that moved him out too far to do much good, should their foe decide to go for one of his teammates.

Instead of doing that, the drained, panting and outnumbered boy tried yet again to flee, while there was no-one up to intercept him. Ken deliberated just letting him, but somebody had different ideas.

Body-flickering in like a ghost, a purple streak crossed paths with the underdog, felling her faster than any of them could even see, except maybe the still dazed Rei, who didn't look at her adoptive mother avenging her with slightly more force than necessary.

When the combination of a slap with the flat side of her customary katana and a knife-hand to one of the major nerve clusters settled in, the red-headed offender simply collapsed.

This wasn't the end of it for Yugao, however. Nodding at Kuroyuuki torn between scrambling towards his wounded dog and his downed teammate, she ran for Rei, who had just now managed to lift her head.

"What are you doing, taking off to fight somebody like that!? Are you okay?", she asked, afraid.

"I… I'm good, I… just wanted to help him.", came the pained answer. But her mother didn't listen any further than "good", and pulled her in an embrace, tears of worry wetting the girl's black scalp. She allowed herself to faint a little.

Meanwhile, the fox in his bag just slept through all of it.

* * *

**Preview**

[In the Background: Naruto in the Hokage's office, swamped in stacks of documents]

Hinata: Naruto?

[Naruto continues signing documents]

Hinata [confused, louder]: Naruto!?

Naruto [distracted]: One second, my love.

[Naruto kicks out to the side, another Naruto emerges from behind the desk]

Other Naruto [drowsy]: Uh… haaa. Oh, hey Hinata.

Hinata [chiding]: Naruto, you were supposed to do a preview!

Original Naruto [collecting himself]: OH! That was today? Dammit, I knew I should have made more clones.

Naruto Clone [still working, annoyed]: Whatever gave me that idea.

Original Naruto [sheepish]: Uh… [announcer voice] Next up: **A Love Forever, Chapter 2 – Back to the Foxhole**

Other Naruto Clone [hanging from the ceiling]: Believe it!

Original Naruto [stern]: And what have you been doing!?

Naruto Clone 2 [innocent]: Well, I was on guard duty.

Hinata [exasperated]: I probably have run for the hills by now if I didn't love you so much.


	2. Back to the Foxhole

**Chapter 2 – Back to the Foxhole**

Morning came when the sunlight crept into the room, gently illuminating the polished wooden furniture. It still took a moment for them to wake up, tightly entangled in each other's embrace. Naruto was the first to raise his head, but Hinata, his wife, had been awake for longer, and pulled him back into a kiss before he even got his bearings.

A few minutes passed, though they may as well have been years.

Finally, they parted. "Good morning, love.", Naruto said softly. "Good morning, my…", but Naruto planted another quick peck on her lips, interrupting her. She smiled with the slightest hint of a blush. "I love you, and please don't stop me from saying it.", the former Hyuuga chided jokingly.

"Would I ever.", said the head and founder of the Uzumaki clan, breaking out his best grin. He looked towards the door, behind it the tranquil quiet of a beginning day. "Shall we get up?", he asked with a meaningful glance, not being entirely literal.

Then a muffled scream of "Momma!" came through the door, the silence shattered. Ever-so-slightly hesitating, Hinata motioned to actually get up. "We have to. And you still wanted to visit the hospital, remember?" With another short kiss, she untangled herself and stood, the light, thin nightgown hinting at her curves rather than revealing them.

She turned to him, hands folded in front of her. "Could you please make breakfast? I think Naruko did something again…", she pleaded persuasively.

"Sure. How about pancakes?", he suggested after tearing his eyes away from her form.

"Pancakes would be great!", Hinata smiled, but collapsing into a frown fast when she "saw" what was going on in the other room. "That girl…" Murmuring, she left.

Sighing, the husband scratched his head. His first child sure took after him.

* * *

When the dark-haired twen returned, still in her nightgown and carrying her young child, Naruto had already prepared the table with two stacks of pancakes, honey, marmalade and assorted toppings as well as cutlery and dishes for the three of them. They didn't even bother stowing the high chair anymore, except when they had guests.

"You come at just the right time.", the proud father said, closing in for a kiss. Little Naruko waved at him excitedly, yelling "Poppa!"

It was a testament to his skill that he pecked both his wife – on the lips -, his daughter – on the cheek – and snatched the toddler away to place her on her chair before the struggling child could fully react. Thus, she was already securely seated when she finally said "beakwast!" in a rather liberal pronunciation.

Her parents sat down shortly afterwards.

"What did she do, anyway?", the older blonde inquired after lifting pancakes on his and his wife's plate and cutting his own into small pieces to serve their child.

Hinata answered while thoughtfully decorating her meal. "She wet her sheets, but when she noticed, she tried to climb out of the crib and got caught in her mobile somehow. She was nearly hanging upside-down when I came in."

Naruto frowned. "Did she hurt herself?", he asked seriously, while trying to feed the girl despite her prodigious dodging. "No, she was just annoyed.", was the answer.

"Good.", he said with relief, at the same time finally hitting his mark. Naruko giggled happily. "And you, shouldn't you be able to feed yourself by now?", he complained to the just over one year old girl lightheartedly.

After the meal, Naruto took up his longcoat and got ready to leave, while Hinata still lingered, holding Naruko to her shoulder so she could burp. Afterwards, she set the child down for a moment to see him off.

They shared a long kiss, holding each other gently and afterwards hugging tightly for a few moments. "When will you be at the office?", she asked, muffled by his chest. He was stroking her hair just above the braid absentmindedly. Still, he had heard the question. "An hour or two after the usual time. I don't want to cut my visits too short.", he mouthed with his chin resting on her head.

"Momma! Poppa!", a young voice squeaked below them, shortly followed by a tiny weight latching onto their legs. With a chuckle, they parted and bowed down to include the youngest family member into their hug. The lighthearted affair consumed yet another minute, but finally, they parted.

"I'll be off!", the Jinchuuriki-turned-hero-turned-Hokage exclaimed before he went out, while the former doormat, former clan leader, now his wife and lover and a capable, self-assured mother stayed back to take care of their child.

It was a morning like most others, down to the ritual which took place on the dirt road just outside the building that housed his apartment.

"I guess two will be enough for today.", he said to himself before he popped a Kunai out of his sleeve and slit his wrist in a businesslike motion. Before too much of the blood fell to the ground, he signed a few short seals and called his art. "Ninja Arts: Blood Clone Jutsu." The globs of his life essence flew out on their own and coalesced into more of him, sans the tamper-proof knee-long mantle, which he took off as his wound healed and his blood refilled. He'd need to eat another breakfast later.

"You go to the office and get the work going.", he told the first clone, handing him the coat and designating him the "Hokage" for all intents and purposes. His duplicate nodded, not very happy about it, and took off in a dignified stride. The original chuckled about his own humor.

"You show your face on the walls, and patrol the village.", the "Clone Ninja" told his third self for the day. "Can I do the second hospital visit later today?", it asked. "Sure.", he told himself with a smile. Smiling back at his original, he took to the roofs with a jump.

"But I still get to do the first visit.", the original said, mischievously rubbing his hands, before he took off for the hospital.

* * *

Three familiar faces greeted him when the sixth Hokage arrived at the front desk. "Kakashi-sensei. Minato. Rin. Good Morning", he said, beaming at his old teacher and his two younger children.

With a heartedly "Naruto-niisan!", the siblings charged him and nearly toppled him over. They were ten and seven years old now, both of them attending the academy, with their father entering his forties.

"Ah. So you're also here.", the permanently silver-haired Jonin remarked, impassive as ever. He had finally done away with his half-mask some time after his marriage, but he still kept his leaf headband drawn over the sole Sharingan.

Naruto bent down to the eye-level of the two children and tousled their hair. "Are you visiting your sister?", he asked them. Minato, the elder, nodded. "Yeah, they said we shouldn't stay overnight since mom was already there."

"They? Sakura did?", the whisker-marked ninja asked. "Yah, she kept going on about how we needed to be at the academy in the morning and they didn't have any beds left for visitors.", the retired field operative relayed.

"That reminds me, wouldn't the three of you have classes now?", the New Sannin wondered. "Well, my lessons are cancelled today and those two are at the hospital, so all is right.", the current head of the Konohagakure Ninja Academy replied.

Grinning, the yellow-haired twenty-something righted himself and looked for the receptionist. "Well, if the coast is clear, we should get going. You did ask for a visit already, right?"

"Sure did. They said they'd send somebody down to get us, since this is outside visiting hours.", the older man remarked with indifference. There was nobody around, except a bored girl at the counter who seemed to be clipping her nails.

But then Naruto seemed to detect something, and seconds later the door to the inner corridors opened to admit a pink-haired, slim woman who was distantly familiar.

"Oi, Sakura!", the woman's old friend and teammate yelled, without the dignity his office demanded.

"What, you came too, knucklehead?", the head of the medical division half-asked with feigned annoyance.

"Hey, you asked me over for that other thing, remember?", he complained jokingly.

She sighed. "So you'll just take the opportunity to visit a few friends, I got it. Come with. You too, Kakashi and other people who by all rights should be at the Academy right now."

They complied. After a short walk, staying at ground level, their guide opened one of the doors, allowing them into a two-bed room which housed the heir of a nearly destroyed clan, the near-outcast of a very thriving clan without his dog, and a purple-haired woman in her thirties, though that wasn't readily apparent unless she heavily lacked sleep like she did now.

And still, she perked up when her husband and children entered, getting up and greeting them with a smile. Kakashi even got a hug and a kiss out of it, while assembled crowd politely waited.

"Are you okay, sis?", Minato worriedly asked his oldest sibling, while the parents moved over to the bedside, still lightly steadying each other. Sakura and her old teammate were taking the backseat to the family scene, while Kuroyuuki tried to go unnoticed on the far side of the room.

"I'm better already. Sorry I kept tabs on mom all night.", she replied sleepily.

"You were hurt, so you needed her more.", her kid brother conceded magnanimously. His father chuckled a bit; he had spent a good chunk of the last evening calming both him and his younger sister down, not least with this explanation.

The elder sister turned to her parents now. "Thanks for coming here with them, even though it's an academy day.", she said with faint reproach. She looked quite healthy, however, back to her usual, though pale color and only a few compresses on her arms where she had been injured.

"Well, we're at the hospital after all…", her father repeated his joke, only to take a playful jab to the hips from his wife.

They were silent for a moment, glad they were all together again after the first serious injury to one of their kids.

After a measure of time, the other visitor and the medic stepped forward. "Hello, Rei. Sorry you got mixed up in this, I should have sent ANBU right after I heard from Toro's squad instead of asking your mother.", the tall man apologized. Rei seemed a bit puzzled, with Yugao chiming in.

"I haven't told her about all of the circumstances yet. But it was more my fault than yours, I let them run too far ahead and I accepted your request to stop that attacker. You were right to ask me, if anything. Had I not known…", she trailed off, her eyes dull from afterthoughts. Kakashi squeezed her shoulders to snap her back out of it.

"Don't either of you blame yourself, I was there and tried to stop that boy when he was only trying to escape. I was wounded because I made a hasty decision.", the girl on the hospital bed cut into the decision. Then she looked at her blanket, having spoken more sharply than intended. "Sorry, I thought I could maybe help him.", she added in a more subdued voice.

"In the end, you did help "him" to a night's rest and much-needed medical attention. "He" could have died from a number of things if you didn't bring "him" in yesterday.", the attending expert refuted her patients claims to guilt. Then, she cracked a small smile. "Also, you seem to have missed something, that guy you fought was actually a girl."

Cue big eyes from Rei, a flat "What?" from the injured Inuzuka on the other bed and various degrees of amusement even in the face of graver issues from the adults. Also, another serving of bewilderment from the younger siblings, since things had been going over their heads for quite some time.

"Though I admit she didn't look much like a girl the way she was.", Sakura admitted without going into further detail. After a few chuckles, the ace student of Tsunade stepped closer to the side of the bed which wasn't occupied by family members, and the patient turned to the last disciple of Jiraya.

"Thank you for stopping by, Naruto-niisan. I'm sorry I put myself at risk like this.", she apologized yet again.

But the recipient of this apology shook his head. "Don't be. I would have done the same in your situation. I've actually done it more often than I can count." "That doesn't really make it less of a headache, though.", the infamous meddler's then-teacher inserted.

"And I had to patch you up from way worse things than some burns on the arms. You and Hinata.", that particular team's main healer supported, checking the compresses.

Deflated, the naturally resilient ninja amended his previous statement. "Er… try to get one of your partners to learn medical skills, just in case. Both of them, maybe." They still gave him sour looks for that particular piece of advice.

"I'd do it.", came from the - until now - neglected other bed in the room. Kuroyuuki sat ramrod straight on the mattress, a serious look on his face that faltered somewhat after seven pairs of eyes turned to him. But he remained steadfast. "I'd become a medical-nin if that's what it takes.", he proclaimed.

"Weren't you nearly as much of a knucklehead as Mr. Believe-It here? I think I had to fix a broken foot of you after you tried running up a tree too hard.", Sakura commented wryly, which deflated him a bit.

Rei had to stifle a laugh at the memory, even though it was not funny, at all. Yugao, the boy's teacher, just blinked at him, astonished.

"Even I learned some medical jutsu after that affair with the Blood-Taster. If he thinks he can do it, he should be allowed to try.", the fellow offensive-oriented fighter jumped to his junior's defense.

Sakura made a strange smile born form both a friend's pride and a teachers sadistic amusement to that remark. "You're welcome to stay for some training after I declare your treatment finished, young one.", she said in a deceptively friendly voice.

To be honest, Kuroyuuki nearly backed down then and there, but he had already given his word.

"Also, Hana said Kinmaru is okay, but he will have to eat mostly soft and non-acidic food for a while until the burns on his gums are fully healed. It's a bit tricky to cure that with just ninjutsu on a dog.", the medic added in a more neutral tone, finishing her checkup on the girl. "Well, are you ready to gain some first-hand experience on medical procedures?", she then asked him with a positively beaming smile.

Naruto nodded to the younger man, giving him a silent assurance of his support.  
The screams were delightful, though effectively an overreaction to a regular, if exhaustive array of tests.

* * *

Afterwards, having taken longer than expected, they moved further down the hallway to a smaller group of doors next to a broad, secondary entrance easily accessible from behind the building.

The room they entered housed a few chairs and sleeping mats, but mainly provided easy view to the adjacent room through a large window that took up nearly the whole wall, safe for a door to allow fast access for the staff. In that next room, two beds with new electrical equipment stood, on them two small, barely teenage patients. It was the Intensive Care Unit, though not the most intensive part.

Waiting inside the room were four adults, one of them nearly unnoticeable. The first, in the simple garb of a trainee medical-nin, bowed towards the entering VIPs. "Hokage-sama, Haruno-sensei, I am honored by your presence.", the young man spoke deferentially.

Naruto frowned at that. "You don't need to address me so politely, I'm just another visitor.", he said.

"Of course, Hokage.", the man continued only a bit less formal.

"Don't be too hard on him, he just can't get around being stiff when anybody famous is in the room.", the woman who had kept her maiden name remarked. The man, probably only a few years older than Rei and Kuroyuuki, held his bow until Sakura signed that he should straighten up.

The others in the room also greeted them with a bow, but they were less overzealous about it. Still, the white-eyed Hyuuga among them slipped in a subdued "Uzumaki-dono", while Konan went with "Naruto-san", being closer acquainted to him.

The next-to-invisible aunt to the esteemed leader of Konohagakure even uttered a downright disrespectful "Naruto-kun", but her nephew would have asked her to drop even that minimal honorific, while neither Konan nor Sakura were likely to care and the two in the room who weren't close acquaintances of them probably hadn't even noticed the improbably forgettable woman.

When the greetings had been exchanged, Sakura turned to her apprentice. "How are the two of them? You can speak freely, everybody here has a right to know.", she inquired with not purely professional concern in her voice.

The youth nodded. "Miss Hyuuga's physical injuries show signs of fast improvement, thanks to the… special solution she has been given." "Just call it "blood transfusion".", the donor interrupted him.

With a nod of polite acknowledgement, the man continued. "She has recovered from her superficial contusions and most of the burns overnight, but the wounds on her hands and arms will take some time to fully heal. Her chakra circulation system, however, continues to be damaged and while it is recovering, will keep her from participating in missions for a longer timespan. Lady Tsunade estimates this at close to two months.", he ended his report on the first patient.

The older Hyuuga in the room, Naruto vaguely recognized him as a branch family member, gasped at the last sentence.

"How long until she can use the Byakugan again?", the distressed relative asked with a sense of urgency in his voice. The trainee medic started shaking his head, but Sakura stepped in to answer the question.

"Probably less than that, but I can't say before I finish my checkup later today. We will only know for sure after the sedation has worn off and her chakra has stabilized. However, I have seen a full recovery after heavier damages to the system, and the tenketsu related to her eyes weren't affected. She will be fine if she just takes time to recover.", the renown medical-nin explained in a soothing voice she rarely used outside of interactions like this.

Calmed, the Hyuuga nodded and sat down to digest the news. Naruto lifted an eyebrow at the oddly specific question, but his old teammate slightly shook her head and wordlessly conveyed she would explain later.

"Continue your report, please.", she then asked the youngest person on this side of the glass.

"Of course, Haruno-sensei. The other patient, Jiraya Yahiko, has sustained greater physical injuries, and is recovering without complications thanks to the blood donated by the Lord Hokage." Naruto cringed, but the man did not bat an eye. "However, due to the depth of his burns and some other tissue damage, it is expected to take at least three more days before he can be moved to a regular room, and more than a week before he can be discharged. The damage to his Tenketsu is minor, and should be healed in less than that time." Konan and next to her Kohaku, the boy's biological mother, nodded in understanding.

"This concludes my report on the progress after you left for the night, Haruno-sensei. Tsunade-dono asked to meet you after you are done with your morning duties.", he finished.

"Thank you. Please continue your work here until the day shift arrives. I will return in time for the noon checkup", she instructed him politely. "Of course, Sensei."

While the head of the medical division went through the paces, he approached the decommissioned paper user, now a regular origami flower in her hair, and his aunt, who still housed a now permanently sealed Six-Tails Chameleon. "I'm sorry their mission turned out like this, even if it was declared safe. I'll revise the admission procedures again to make sure something like this doesn't get by me again", he said, rekindling his guilt over the whole situation.

But Kohaku, despite appearances the more expressive of the two women, stood up to him. "You shouldn't. No mere procedure can prevent unexpected situations from happening, and it might just as easily end in overrating a harmless mission or denying critical help to somebody who can't pay the fee for a task with unclear dangers. A ninja has to deal with these things by oneself, or at least with his or her teammates.", she said passionately, though the impact was curbed by her flat voice. Her nephew knew her well enough that it still made an impression, and nodded.

"You're probably right, but I needed to get this off my chest. I've been in the field for so long that I still feel like I'm in the wrong if something happens and I'm not there.", he chuckled to himself, strangely relieved somebody talked back to him. Outside his circle of friends and family, though it was wider than most, this rarely happened now, as much as he encouraged it.

His aunt nodded with a soft expression. "Gouki also felt like this often. But we can't be everywhere and do everything, no matter what we try.", she said with conviction. Being mostly confined to the village and next to unnoticeable for most people left her with a lot of alone time she often used to think and write about the Shozaku War, among other things.

"Well, I'm also working at my office and patrolling the walls right now, so maybe I'm not the right person to tell this to.", her nephew joked.

"Right.", she chuckled to this.

Konan remained silent, though she listened intently to the exchange between her friend and the young man who had saved her husband. After they were done, she spoke up. "I have no reason to blame you, either. You and the others of your generation have created the peace we could only dream of, and the children enjoy the best protection they can hope for in their profession. It's like Kohaku said, they need to deal with the dangers themselves, and we can only support them."

Kohaku nodded. "Although I was opposed to Jiraya skipping classes, he did choose it for himself, and I think he measured up to his responsibilities, as much as it hurts to see him like this.", she continued her assessment.

Naruto smiled about so much effort to make him feel better, though he knew the two of them were speaking as much to each other and to themselves as they spoke to him. "He jumped in to save his teammate for all I heard, and both of them survived and will recover. I think he did the right thing at the time, even though it put him in danger."

The women acknowledged the opinion and mulled over it for a moment. Then Kohaku perked up again. "Didn't their enemy escape after they fought?", she asked without easily discernible intentions.

"Yes, but later Yugao's team met her and took some less critical injuries, but they also managed to bring her in.", the Hokage replied honestly. Kohaku nodded, while Konan asked "Yugao did?" "Yes, but she's with her daughter at the moment. Maybe ask somebody to bring you to her later", he offered when he noticed Sakura tapping her foot near the door.

She didn't comment on his delay when he broke off the conversation and left the room after her.

Moving back towards the middle of the building, Naruto brought up the issue Sakura hadn't commented on before. "Why did Hibiki's relative only ask about her Byakugan? I didn't say anything before, but it still bugs me", he asked like he always did when he was among friends or facing enemies. Other than that, he had cut back on the probing questions after much urging from said friends. Reluctantly.

"That was her father, Makoto Hyuuga. He's from one of the branch families, and back under Hyota's… influence his daughter narrowly avoided being branded with the caged bird seal because of her special condition. Unique, actually.", she stated, building up the suspense. They arrived at an unassuming door, which was, however, locked, and actually had a seal on it that Sakura proceeded to open with blood from her thumb before it even became visible.

After the interrupting herself for the short blood sacrifice, the pink-haired medical expert continued, while they walked down a white and well-lit staircase, three floors deep. "She's blind, the only blind Hyuuga in the records, and she can only see while she uses her Byakugan. Of course, they like to keep this quiet, but I heard about it from Hinata when Hibiki entered the academy six years ago. I'm surprised you didn't know about it."

Behind her, a whisker-marked face shifted to a pained grin. "Actually, I did know, but it kinda got buried under a lot of other stuff. I never noticed it when I met with Jiraya's teammates."

His trusted friend gave a light chuckle. "Well, this is you keep us around even though you can spawn enough clones to fill all the positions by yourself, isn't it."

The sometimes pigeonholed Sannin groaned. "Come on, Sakura. You know me using clones for office work is a last-ditch measure except on a very small scale, like right now. Unless #2 screwed something up in the meantime", he complained.

"I wasn't criticizing you", the world-famous medical expert purred innocently.

Her teammate and nominal superior answered with only a sigh.

* * *

They were at the bottom of the stairs now, in an uncomfortably small room with only one door next to the staircase they came down. It was an unassuming, though noticeably sturdy steel door, which seemed to say "going up there again is easier". This was, of course, deliberate, and a notion supported by subtle genjutsu that only affected the physical senses, which made it impossible to release them normally.

Saying nothing, Sakura opened the wound on her thumb again and temporarily lifted another invisible seal, this time a water-element one Hinata had written herself yesterday after Yugao had brought her "prisoner" in. Then she turned the key in a complicated sequence that made this lock basically tamper-proof.

"Welcome to my wretched dungeon", she remarked wryly. Naruto quietly assented; he liked this floor no more than she did, though it was by all accounts a regular hospital basement with sterile white floors and eggshell-colored walls. Except for the heavy steel door the opened outwards and the older medical-nin that sat guard next to it, of course.

"Hello, Haruno-san and Hokage-sama. Are you here to see the patient?", he asked in a neutral voice.

"Yes, I am. Where is Mirai?"

"She's speaking to Hachi in the observation room.", the guard said in a disapproving tone.

"Thank you." With no more than that, the head medical-nin moved down the corridor, which didn't look any different from the one at ground level. The door had closed by itself seconds after they had passed through.

In a room that resembled the one they had met Konan, Kohaku and Hibiki's father in, a young Hyuuga – maybe five years younger than them – and a less recognizable ninja of about the same age sat, with a pot of tea between them. They seemed surprised at the visit. "Haruno-san, I didn't… Hokage-dono?", the white-eyed guard jumped from her seat and showed a look of real surprise at the new arrivals. Her colleague stood up with only slightly less haste.

"You don't need to go through the trouble, just call me Naruto. Or Naruto-san, at least.", the formality-despising Kage requested patiently.

"I couldn't…" "Naruto-sama?", he offered with some discomfort. "Er… very well. Thank you, Naruto-sama.", she conceded.

The high-profile clan leader didn't feel he did anything to deserve thanks, but he held it in.

As jarring as this treatment was from somebody he considered family, all of the branch family members, and with them the majority of the clan, held Hinata with even higher regard, and she felt even more strange about it, though she said it less often this openly.

After this little exchange, Sakura cleared her throat. "We're here to take a look at our guest. Is she awake?"

The previously silent male guard, Hachi probably, provided the answer. "Yes, she woke up only a few hours after you visited last, Haruno-san. She tried to rip herself loose, but she gave up after a few attempts. She has barely moved since, and hasn't spoken once, even when I told her where she was. Over the intercom.", he hastily added.

The pink-haired jonin smiled. "Thank you, Hachi. We'll go talk to her now.", she said, moving towards the final door, next to the large window that showed only a single bed this time, a thin form with a shock of red hair restrained on it.

The steel portal, less imposing than the entrance, but still quite sturdy, was again invisibly sealed, but it opened with a less complicated procedure. Even knowing the security measures were indisputable, the former jinchuuriki couldn't help but feel them to be too oppressive. He assumed it was much the same for the prisoner.

They approached until they were at the side of the bed towards the door, deliberately not encircling the girl and standing slightly out of her normal reach, were she not restrained.

"Hello, and welcome to the Village Hidden beneath the Leaves. Sorry that we keep you cuffed to the bed, but you wounded some of us, and we can't risk your doing that again.", the pink-haired Sannin began calmly, but with some restraint.

The girl, because of her emaciated features still too sharp-boned to be recognizable as such, answered with silence.

The blonde Hokage tapped his friend's wrist to signal her he would try talking to her. "We understand you were scared, but you attacked traders in the area and fought some of my friends with deadly force. We needed to talk to you, at least, and you were too heavily injured to be left alone.", he ventured, carefully choosing his words. He was more apt at doing this under stress and in a clear confrontation, but he needed to do it, even here.

Again, nothing but silence.

"Why did you attack like that in the first place, instead of just running?", he asked her directly. This time, the girl turned her head towards him, fixating him with angry gray eyes. Though after a few seconds, she looked more surprised than hostile.

"You didn't actually kill anybody, besides one of the traders. His wife requested that we hunt down the "bandits", that's why we were there."

The girl lowered her eyes and seemed thoughtful. "I thought it had been more than one person.", she said with a quiet alto voice.

"Did you want to kill people?", Naruto asked, with surprisingly little bitterness in his voice.

She continued to look away. "… it just didn't matter. Only…", she didn't finish her sentence.

"Only you did try to kill Hibiki, when you fought", he said clearly.

She looked at him puzzled. "The… blank-eyed girl?", she ventured. He nodded. Averting her eyes again, she kept her silence for a moment. "I knew she was dangerous when she touched me. My… father warned me to avoid blank-eyed people at all costs. But she caught up with me", she said in a strangely neutral tone.

Then she looked up again. "Will you take revenge for her?", she asked, calmly.

"No.", the man said, feeling old all of the sudden. "She isn't dead, and even if she was, killing more people accomplishes nothing."

She nodded, acknowledging his decision. "But you won't let me go."

"We will, but only after you're healed up and fed, and we can be sure you won't attack people again. For food or other reasons", the Hokage pledged, his old teammate casting him an understanding glance.

Even people who had hurt his friends got a chance to explain themselves. And sentencing somebody to death who was already helpless did never sit right with him.

After Sakura completed a short checkup without further words, they moved towards the exit, Sakura knocking at the door. It didn't even have a handle on this side, and no seal, either. It had to be opened from the other side, and the one-way mirror kept them in the dark about the guards.

But when the door opened, the girl suddenly asked a question. "You are the Sixth Hokage, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, right?" Her voice sounded strangely anxious.

The former container of the Nine-Tails Fox turned around, facing her with a complicated expression. "Not anymore, she relinquished her life to avoid being extracted and captured years ago", he said, shaking his head, with a measure of respect and thankfulness, some ill-hidden relief and hints of dark memories.

But the change the girl went through, until now emotionless, was much more blatant. "So it wasn't a lie?", she asked desperately, tears collecting in her eyes.

With some surprise, he replied "No. She is dead."

The girl collapsed, crying in her pillow, not being able to bring her hands to the face.

Naruto hesitated a moment, then turned around to leave the room. He didn't understand why somebody would be devastated that one of the tailed beasts had died, but he didn't know how to comfort the girl now, either.

Would she even accept being comforted by her jailer?

* * *

Later, he entered the Hokage's office, his clone standing up to hand him the mantle, cut the same as his father's had been. His other self nodded, the original's face still drawn, and summoned a clone, only to dismiss it so the work could continue where he had left off.

While the duplicate went to fulfill other duties, Naruto sat down and processed what "he" had done this morning, if only to get the other thoughts out of the way for now.

While he was still busying himself, Hinata came in. His mood lightened up as soon as he saw her. "You're here already?", he said, joyfully surprised. He walked over to her for a kiss, which they held for a moment, Hinata throwing the folders she was carrying on a nearby desk. After they parted, it was the woman who looked thoughtful.

"Something happened. What is it?", she inquired worriedly.

He lowered his eyes a little, but then thought better of it and faced her directly, not hiding his feelings. "I visited the girl Yugao's and Toro's teams fought, down in the hospital prison. But as much as I hate such places, she also asked me about the Kyuubi, and she cried when I confirmed that she was dead. That… shook me", he poured it out.

She nodded, understanding him, and drew him into a hug. They both closed their eyes and stood there, for what must have been several minutes.

"Maybe I can lift your confusion a bit.", she said then, a smile in her voice.

"You can?", he asked, surprised.

"If you let go of me, at least", she joked.

"Then don't", he said stubbornly, clutching her tighter and making her laugh.

They fooled around for a moment, she weakly trying to escape and he holding on to her with increasingly clumsy grips, "accidentally" brushing her soft parts sometimes.

Finally, the panting woman extricated herself before things got inappropriate for the location. Holding her side from laughter, she took the folder she had set down before, and held it up like a shield. "Here… work… concentrate on that", she demanded with some fits of amusement.

Naruto made wild grin. "Too bad."

"Don't tempt me.", she shot back unconvincingly.

Now in higher spirits, the loving husband took the folder and browsed through it for a moment. It contained mostly printouts of old reports, many with numbers to indicate where the original report sat in the archives, written on a scroll. It concerned some attacks with unknown ninjutsu and destroyed or lost clans.

"Where did you find a connection with our bandit?", he asked after not recognizing a clear pattern.

"I'm looking for several possible leads, but from you just said, she might be a member of the Ankoku clan. It was supposedly destroyed long before Konoha was founded, by the Hyuuga. Even our clan archives had only scarce information on them, but they could be recognized by their unusual red hair and their instable chakra, which was enough information for Sakura to treat that girl", she paused. "There were other possible matches, but after you told me of her reaction to the Kyuubi's death, I am pretty sure. They were said to consider the Kyuubi no Kitsune their ancestor."

* * *

**Preview**

[The forests of the Fire Country, Team Yugao travelling in tight formation]

Kuroyuuki [uncertain]: Er… are you sure I should do it?

Rei [determined]: Yeah, go ahead.

[Pursuit view of the two boys, carrying large scrolls on their backs]

Kuroyuuki [stiff]: We… are getting sent… to the Hidden Sound village… to exchange… scrolls.

Rei [worried]: Yuuki.

[A young ninja with a Hidden Sound insignia challenging Rei on the streets.]

Kuroyuuki [dejected]: I can't do it. I'm hopeless.

Rei [sympathetic]: Well, maybe you can manage next week.

Kuroyuuki [horrified]: Again!?

Naruto [announcer voice]: Next Monday on **A Love Forever** – **Chapter 3, The Price of an Echo**

Rei [surprised]: You were here, Nii-san?

Naruto [flatly]: No. [explodes in a puff of smoke and chakra]

Kuroyuuki [frustrated]: Shouldn't he have done it, then?

Rei [sighs deeply]


	3. The Price of an Echo

**Chapter 3 - The Price of an Echo**

_After several days in captivity, it was time for the girl to be moved from the hospital to a regular cell. She had become even more silent and listless after being visited - and being informed about the Kyuubi's demise - by Naruto, who was also attending her transfer._

_When they loosened her restraints and helped her up, he stepped in and asked the two low-ranking ANBU members to let her stand on her own for a moment._

_Unsure on her feet after barely moving for so long, she needed a few seconds to gain her balance, facing him. Her eyes looked dead, as if she expected to be executed on the spot. The Hokage was not in a habit of doing that, however._

"_I can't very well let you go after you nearly killed somebody, but I'd rather have you make up for it by working instead of just locking you up. I talked with my friends and the elders about it, and we can offer you to be decommissioned and then work around the village for a while, maybe help Hibiki while she's still recovering", he suggested._

_She looked slightly confused. "Decommissioned?"_

"_It'll neutralize you Chakra circulation system so you can't use your arts or strengthen yourself ever again, but otherwise you'll just be a very well-trained regular human."_

_She looked appalled, then her face locked, and she lowered her eyes. "Very well. I will accept that as my punishment."_

_The blonde, tall man frowned. "It's not meant to be a punishment, it's just easier for you to live in our village or on the outside if you don't have to deal with people being afraid of your powers", he said reluctantly. _

_It would be nice if proving yourself to people was any easier, but as much as he had worked for that to come true, some who were in the know still resented Nagato for his path's attacks on the village, Rei for being Itachi's daughter, Itachi since they didn't believe his being an agent for the village even after it was made public or even Naruto himself for various reasons. _

_While he was thinking, the girl had said nothing. "You don't need to decide now, but we will have to keep you here until we find a way for you to live without hurting anybody", he offered._

_Her eyes looked up at him, frightened. "I… can't give up my… abilities", she said hesitantly, lowering his eyes again after only one word._

"_It's your decision, but it will be difficult for you that way. You will need help, and you will have to prove that you are not a danger to people", he lectured her sternly. _

_After a moment, he added "I've done that myself, it's no joke, but rewarding if you go through with it", more softly._

_She peeked at him, and then shook her head. "I don't know how to do that." Her voice carried a hint of despair._

"_We will help you, if you are willing to do it", he said determinately. _

_After a moment, she shook her head once more, like from a reflex. "I don't think people can ever accept me, no matter whether I give up my heritage or not. They hunted my father and my brother down and killed them. I'm the last of the clan, and they will surely hunt for me, too." This was the most she had said since coming here, and she held eye contact while she said it, pleading for his understanding._

_The former Jinchuuriki however decided to understand her plea differently. "I'm the first member of my "clan", and me and Hinata finally had a child a year and a half ago. That blonde boy you fought is my cousin Jiraya, my only other blood relative. The black-haired girl who stopped you from running is Rei, who is the last successor of her own clan", he enumerated, smiling. "You see, we have some experience with these things."_

STOP

"So the Hokage sent us to get teaching materials for that mutt?", Kuroyuuki asked with an enraged voice.

"We have to do the regular exchange and some private trading with the sound village as well, so we may have been sent either way. Somebody has to get more information on her abilities if we want to let her live in the village", Yugao explained between jumps.

They were moving through the treetops at a steady pace, more for the sake of training than out of time pressure. Yuuki would have walked if it meant the Ankoku girl had to stay in prison any longer, but he also wanted to get back to his dog, who wasn't back in prime condition yet.

"Then why are we even offering that to her? They should keep that nutcase locked up forever or…", the Inuzuka complained.

"Naruto-niisan wanted to give her a chance to redeem herself, I'm sure. She may have attacked people, but in the end, we attacked her. Just locking her up wouldn't help anybody, she can't try to repair the damage she did like that", Rei chimed in, passionately.

"But…" Yuuki wanted to argue, but he couldn't very well go against the daughter of a man who never got to redeem himself on his own before he died. Even less so because seeing her wounded was the main reason he hated their opponent from back then.

"Whatever. Let me see her try", he said, ending the argument and pushing off harder to gain distance.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the only Uchiha turned to her mother, at least metaphorically, since she wasn't especially keen on jumping sideways right now. "What do you think, Yugao-sensei? Is it okay to give her a chance?"

"I don't want to influence your opinion on this", she said calmly, "you have to decide this on your own. Convincing you, who fought her, to accept her is something that girl has to achieve herself."

Pondering, the purple-haired woman's daughter continued her jumps. They were looking at Yuuki's back now, mostly covered by a large scroll full of copies from old records and training manuals they were going to trade for information from the Sonogakure archives.

"He will probably mellow once Kinmaru and everybody from the other team are healed up. Carrying a grudge was never something he's good at, because he'd need to be serious for longer. We've seen how "serious" he was about Kinmaru's training", the young Takamichi commented with a slight barb against his years-long friend.

"Ken, don't say that while he's around, you know he loves his dog", Rei reprimanded him with a slight shock.

"Yes, but because he loves him, he also cares about him, and he spoils him. Yuuki trains himself so hard that his dog doesn't have to fight, or you, or me. He's silly like that", the more balanced gray-hair explained.

"I know, and we need to respect his feelings, but we'll still support him. That girl told me she couldn't trust me when I said I'd help her, and nobody should have to feel like that. Least of all Yuuki", she said decidedly.

"Are you finally warming up to him?", Ken joked.

Rei nearly missed a jump. "D… don't talk about that in front of my mother!", she sputtered.

"Something I should know?", the older woman teased.

"Nothing! Nothing!", the young lady vehemently denied.

"Oh, Yuuki will be sad when he hears that.", teased the shorter boy on the team.

"Gah! Stop it already! I thought we talked about that!", she said, panicking.

"Now you're making me curious", Yugao remarked pointedly.

"Not you too!", her daughter yelled.

"Why? I am you mother, so I have a right to know", the woman stated.

"But… but you're also my teacher! We're on a mission! Don't do that!", the young girl desperately defended.

Her mother pouted, which was lost in between the jumps they somehow still managed to make. "Point taken. We will talk about this matter when we're back at home, _dear_", she declared, not missing her daughter's loss of color. "Now I'll go rein in my other student before he runs off on me. You two behave while I'm out of earshot", she said, emphasizing the last three words, then pushing off hard.

Rei watched her catch up to the black-haired boy in less than a handful of bounds. She had a long, long way to go before she could even seriously play tag with her mother.

"Sorry for teasing you, but Yuuki is still waiting", Ken said soberly.

She nearly yelled at him again, before her memory delivered. Out of earshot, right. "I'm not sure what to tell him. We're still so young, and I don't feel ready for any kind of romance", the Uchiha heir conveyed sadly.

"We're only a year younger than my brother when he started a relationship with the girl who's my sister-in-law now, and she was his second girlfriend", he noted.

She remained silent, pondering.

"Besides, just look at Yuuki. He's not looking for romance, he's crushing on you and trying to get closer", the Takamichi assessed with wisdom beyond his years.

"Don't just say it like that!", the girl rebuked him.

He chuckled. "That's how it is, and I know because I'm even less of a romantic than him. You're helping nobody by stalling."

Again, she was silent for a while. "Maybe", she finally admitted.

STOP

They spent the remainder of the day travelling with only some Smalltalk to ward off the boredom, finally stopping near the steep mountainous area surrounding Sonogakure. Since it was August and the surface path to the village could be traversed, they hadn't bothered to request a guide through the labyrinthine tunnel the Sound Ninja normally used.

Though it was quite possible to arrive in the village while it was still the same day, they weren't especially keen to push on after nightfall, though Rei would have liked a bed even at that cost. Since camping was also training, or so their teacher claimed with a smile, they found themselves a good spot while the sun hadn't set yet and started to get ready for the night.

"I'll go back to find that waterfall again", Rei said after they had eaten a rabbit Yuuki had brought when he returned from collecting firewood. The sun was already partway under the horizon, the few clouds in the sky were tinged in dark orange.

"Of course, take care", her mother answered.

"Do you want to come?", the girl added.

The purple-haired woman only looked at the two boys, ostensibly busy stacking up wood so the fire could last for the night, and shook her head. "No", she mouthed.

"Okay. I'll describe you the way after I'm back", she promised, smiling as she set off into the dusk.

She had a good memory and night sight even without calling up her dojutsu, so it wasn't a difficult task to find her way in the growing darkness. However, their camp was far from to the lake, and the sun had set completely when she arrived.

There were still traces of sunlight in the sky, and it was still a few days before new moon, so the surface of the lake beneath the waterfall was rippled with silver. After a short survey, Rei started to shed her garments, but suddenly the torrent of water exploded.

Reflexively, her iris shifted to the red and black of the Sharingan, providing her with a clear picture of the situation. A young man, only wearing trousers, had jumped up through the waterfall with great force, splitting it lengthwise, and maintained a grip on the slick stones at its top, braving the full force of the stream for a few heartbeats before he jumped off, landing on the lake with little impact, as he held himself afloat with chakra, the same way he had held on to the top of the waterfall for any length of time.

His body was toned, but wiry rather than brawny, and the movement of his muscles distracted the adolescent girl for long enough to see him perform a ninjutsu which her kekkei genkai promptly filed away, while she still took a moment to realize he had noticed her.

"Who is there?", he asked with a surprisingly mature voice, even though he looked no older than sixteen.

Blushing, Rei scrambled to retrieve her jacket and trousers as to not be seen in her underwear.

"Show yourself!", he called out in her direction, more aggressive this time, and taking a step forward.

"Wait!", she yelled in return, fumbling with the hooks that fastened her jacket, then giving up and tying the sash that formed part of her coat instead, to have at least a short makeshift dress to cover herself.

"Who are you?", the man asked again, guarded but less aggressive now.

"Er… Rei Uchiha from the Leaf Village, we're here for the information exchange", she identified herself while trying to slip into her trousers despite their tenacious resistance.

"Why are you in the bushes, then?", he inquired, some puzzlement creeping into his voice.

"I… well… I was trying to take a bath, and I didn't notice you at first.", she confessed, her ears hot from embarrassment.

"Oh. I have to apologize for interrupting you, then", he said, relaxing his posture and turning away from her.

This respite allowed her to finally defeat the trousers' resistance and render herself presentable. Still blushed, with her eyes back to normal, she left the cover of darkness. "You, er… can look now.", she said sheepishly.

He looked, which made her cringe slightly at the intent examination. "You're younger than the ones they usually send", he stated cordially, moving off of the water to face her on even ground.

"Yes, I… we're here with our teacher", she muttered, struggling to banish the embarrassment as to not misrepresent her village.

"Ah. Who is your teacher, if I may ask?", he said in a level voice, some intrigue creeping in. Still, his calm demeanor was impeccable.

"Yugao Hatake, a Jonin", she revealed. The young man seemed thoughtful. "Er… You haven't said your name yet."

He lost his cool façade for a moment and looked startled. "Um… right. I apologize. My name is Karesu Murasao, I'm a Genin of Sonogakure", he explained.

Now it was Rei's turn to be startled. "You're also a Genin? I thought you were much older than me", she declared, amazed.

"Well, I… am still a Genin, yes. And I'm fifteen, but I have been told I appear older", he struggled to return to his more reserved behavior from before.

"Then you're only a year older than me", she voiced with a smile, calmer now. "I'm sorry I interrupted your training." She bowed to underline her apology, and then turned to leave.

"You don't need to leave, I was nearly done", he waved her apology off.

She turned back, with a slight blush since he still only wore trousers. "Do you want to come to our camp, then? We've already eaten, but we can offer you some rations. It's pretty late to return to the village", she offered, more out of courtesy than any other reason. Still, she was surprised to get it out in one piece.

He made a declining gesture. "No, I need to head back to the barracks. Thank you for the offer, though. We will probably meet again if you are taking the mountain path tomorrow", he said.

"We are planning to. Until tomorrow, then."

He nodded. "Until tomorrow."

She saw him retrieve his shirt from a rock closer to the waterfall before he left. Afterwards, she watched out for a while to check if he really was away, before she undressed herself again.

When Rei settled into the pleasantly cold water, her heart finally slowed down after beating painfully fast for minutes.

STOP

The next day, they travelled the last stretch of forest before trekking up the mountain at a more relaxed pace. They weren't particularly high up, but still high enough to get a bit lightheaded. Yugao said something about them needing to do mountain training soon.

Rei hadn't told her teammates about the chance encounter last night, only her mother, who had not reacted besides giving her an appraising look.

It took three hours to cross the mountain at their speed, and just before what their teacher said was the last ridge they needed to cross, they found a guard post about halfway up the slope. It was only a wooden hut with a booth in front, but it seemed well-maintained.

One guard was sitting on a chair in front of the booth, taking in the sun, two others played cards on the veranda. The relaxing guard stood up when they approached. "Leaf Village… ah, you must be the ones they sent for the trade. We didn't expect you this early."

Rei felt a tinge of surprise.

"My students here needed some endurance training, so we ran. I'm Yugao Hatake, those are Rei, Ken and Kuroyuuki. Do you need to search us?", the Jonin asked in a friendly tone.

The man with the sound headband shook his head. "No, I've seen you before, Hatake-san, and I'm pretty sure you're not an impostor. Thank you for helping free our village from Orochimaru's shadow back then", he said, bowing earnestly.

"Thank you. But he and Kabuto were our renegades, so we were glad to have a go at either of them", she smiled. That mission had given her the opportunity to work with her old team again, and to finally sort out their past grievances. She really was thankful for that.

"Take care in the village, then. I'll send notice that you're coming", the man said, going back to the booth for his radio. Team Yugao started moving past him, but Rei trailed back a little.

"Do you know a Genin named Karesu Murasao?", she asked when her team had gotten ahead.

The man turned back to her, grinning. "Prince Failure? Did he turn your head or something?"

"Er… no, he just said he'd be here today. Could you tell him I said hello?", she requested in a low voice.

"Sure, girl. You're Rei, right?", the guard checked.

"Yes, Rei Uchiha", she confirmed.

"Oh, Uchiha? Please don't go in the training dojos without asking first, then. It's not such a big issue, but it would make a bad impression if we basically taught you our skills for free", he explained without hostility.

With a pang of guilt, she nodded. "I will make sure not to do that. We're going straight to the archives, either way", she promised earnestly.

"No problem, then. Have a nice stay", he said, waving her through and fishing for his radio inside the booth.

"What were you doing?", Yuuki pried with a frown.

"Just asking about something", Rei explained noncommittally.

The tall, tan boy shrugged. "Either way, let's move on. I've been smelling lunch for minutes now."

His motion was seconded unanimously.

Sometime after the two shinobi and two kunoichi had left, a young man with short, bluish-black hair and dark blue eyes slid down the sheer mountainside. He had finally put his shirt back on.

Noticing the movement, the sunbathing guard lifted his head again. "Some girl was here for you. She said to give you her regards", he relayed, then got back to lazing around.

"'Some girl?' What was the lady's name?", Karesu inquired.

"Rei Uchiha from Konohagakure. You know, from the clan with the Sharingan", he muttered without as much as turning towards the youth.

"I thought them extinct, except for that one eye of Kakashi Hatake", the genin wondered.

"Nah, she's the last one. Told her to keep out of the dojos", he said.

"She… What? Where did she go?", he urged, sounding disheveled.

"To the archives. What, you got a crush on her, too?", the guard teased, finally turning his head. But the boy had run off already. "Eh. No patience", he remarked to himself, stretching a bit before settling down again.

STOP

"They have quite a few trees here", Kuroyuuki remarked when they entered the village, or rather the forest that served as a backing for the tree houses and huts the villagers had built.

"No more than on my last visit, but deeper in there are some clearings with stone buildings. They don't have many people besides the ninja, so they don't have to accommodate for civilians as much", Yugao explained while pointing to a large house taking up two treetops, but with only a rope ladder to climb up. And the trees themselves, as one Ninja walking up them with a basket of fruit demonstrated.

"Still, isn't it impractical? Why go through the trouble of expending chakra if you could easily build a house on the ground?", Ken asked.

"I'm not in the know; you can just ask them if you want. Maybe they just like the trees", the teacher joked.

"Doesn't every ninja village have a particular architecture? It could be they're still trying to find theirs", Rei said, trying to make sense of it herself.

"That could be", her mother admitted, "But I really don't know. The people at the archives should be able to tell you, if you're this interested."

Rei shook her head cheerfully. "No, I was just wondering. This is the first time I'm visiting another village, after all." She resumed marveling at the inhabited forest in childish wonder.

"Well, I would've taken you along sometime if Kakashi had let me, and you could have seen another village if you'd taken the Chuunin exams already. It won't be our turn again for one and a half years", she mused, chiding her daughter slightly for the delay.

"I'm sorry I held you back all this time", Yuuki apologized gloomily.

"Come on, I didn't feel ready either. We can just take the next one", Rei tried cheering him up.

"Yeah. I still need to learn controlling my chakra better, but I feel about ready", he said with new resolve.

"The exams are held in the Land of Lightning next, you still have more than five months to prepare. I think your father wanted in on the training, too", the purple-haired Jonin remembered

Rei made a terrified sound.

"Oh no, Hell Teacher Kakashi will train us!?" Yuuki was struck with horror.

"How are you calling my husband?", the loving wife complained.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be beyond your trauma from the Academy by now?", Ken prodded.

"Er… um… Sorry, Hatake-Sensei. This is what we called him back then, because he… well…", he grew ever more quiet, and barely whispered the last part, "… a throusand years of pain", quaking with fear.

"Yes, I've hear his teaching style is quite popular with the kids", the purple-haired lady remarked with a grain of salt.

"Well… are you sure he has to train us? I mean, Rei may be his daughter, but…", the Inuzuka boy squirmed.

"Rei Uchiha, I challenge you to a duel!", a voice yelled at full volume from behind them.

"Wait, what?", Yuuki quipped, turning around like the rest of the team.

There stood a handsome-looking guy with sweaty black hair, panting loudly. He was downright disgustingly pretty.

"Karesu-kun?", the challengee asked in confusion.

"-kun?", Yuuki asked, likewise confused.

STOP

"I grant you a free choice of weapons, however ninjutsu and genjutsu are forbidden, except for Kekkei Genkai and strengthening arts. We shall fight until either of us is struck unconscious or takes an injury that impairs the fighting ability. Your teacher may be the judge, I trust she is impartial", the young Murasao declared after he had urged them into a clearing with an earth arena marked by several logs, a ways off the road.

"I'm also her mother, so I can't serve as the judge. What is the meaning of this?", the purple-haired woman inquired with a rare anger in her voice.

"Uchiha-san has observed me in my training last night, I have to assume she also saw the taijutsu I was practicing. I cannot let this go unnoticed", he raged on.

"Is this true, Rei?", Yugao turned her ire at her own daughter.

Said girl flinched at a look she hadn't seen at her mother's face since she had taken her sword for practice without asking, years ago in her academy time. Ashamed, she nodded. "Yes, I did. I didn't mean to, but I saw him sign for a jutsu, as well", she confessed.

The furious boy shot her a glance that could kill, which didn't exactly feel better about it.

"I will get somebody from the offices, then. Wait here, all of you", she ordered in a harsh voice before jumping into the treetops.

"Why this duel, Karesu-kun? If it bothers you that I saw one of your techniques, we can just include it in our trade", Rei pleaded. She really didn't want to fight him, especially for such a constructed reason.

"I was taught this art on good confidence, and I swore to keep it a secret from outsiders. It is not mine to give, and my teacher has not released it to the archives", the enraged Sound Ninja shouted.

"But…", the girl began, but couldn't find words to convince him. She felt helpless.

"Where did you see this jerk train, anyway? In his dreams?", Yuuki growled from the sidelines.

The memory made her even more dejected. "No. It was yesterday, when I went bathing. He was at the waterfall", she recounted.

"What!", Yuuki exploded, "He saw you… Let me at him! Hey, you there! You gotta go through me before you can get to Rei!" Finally his anger gave way, until now contained by Yugao's order. Ken struggled to keep him here.

"Yuuki, please don't. I already accepted the challenge, and even if I don't want to fight him over this, I am the guilty party", the young kunoichi requested. She had to keep at least one fight from happening.

Still growling, Yuuki settled down and stepped out of the arena, Ken trailing behind him. The gray-haired boy cast a reassuring glance at the girl. "If you put even one scratch on her, you are dead", the tan boy spat out once he was outside the ring.

"I do not wish to win this duel by wounding her", Karesu replied icily.

"Then why are you dueling me at all!? If you ask me to do anything else to make up for it, I'd do it gladly", the young Uchiha offered in desperation.

Yuuki looked at her in sudden shock.

"No. My honor and my nindo demand this, and if you truly did not intend to observe me, this is to restore your honor, as well", Karesu stated, somewhat calmer now.

"Can't I do anything?", the girl urged again, half to herself.

"This must be done", the Sound Genin uttered gravely.

The kept in silence, one furious, one wary, one despairing, one determined. After a minute, Yugao returned with an elderly, one-armed Sound Ninja in tow. "This is Shingen, he will be your judge", the woman pointed out. "They said they will also fetch that one's teacher and Shin Busata-san, to make sure this doesn't turn into a headache. Shingen-san is trained as a medical-nin as well, so he will also treat any injuries", she continued before giving Shingen the stage.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, boy?", he asked the honor-crazed young man confidentially, after stepping up to him.

"I won't back down now. Unless I challenge her right to know the technique, I won't be able to face Master once he arrives", Karesu justified himself. He felt he did, anyway.

With a sigh, Shingen backed down. "You have to know it yourself. Don't hurt her, don't get hurt", he said in a low voice, before leaving the arena. "Are both of you armed?", he asked in a formal tone.

"Yes!", the boy exclaimed, brandishing a set of claws he had recalled from a scroll.

"Er… no. I only have Kunai with me", Rei said. She hadn't even thought about that, only how to get him to back down.

"I'll give her my sword", Yugao stated.

Rei looked at her confused. "But…"

"You need a weapon, and you have trained with swords", she pressed on, unsheathing her well-maintained Katana and presenting it to the girl, "I won't let my daughter go into a duel, no matter how senseless it is, without a weapon", she said seriously. "Just don't break it", she added with a wink, "and try to hold out until that guy's teacher or Busata-san are here to talk him down", she continued more soberly.

Rei nodded, happy about the confidence put into her, but still unwilling to fight. However, she would have to defend herself, at least, so she took a stance.

"Are you both ready?", Shingen began again, lifting his only hand.

"Yes", they exclaimed in unison.

"Then begin." He slashed down with his hand, signaling the start of the duel.

Rei called up her Sharingan, readying for a counter. She didn't want to make the first strike, but she was confident in her defensive skills.

Karesu simply signed the short sequence needed for his technique, which the Uchiha finally saw in full. She stepped aside before he was finished, but despite her preparation and early reaction, he still caught her off guard.

From a standing position he jumped, extremely fast and powerfully, the claws in front of him. Rei tried to divert the wrist-mounted blades so she could push him out of position, but his weapon met hers with so much force that she was pushed aside, stumbling and nearly falling.

Fast, faster than her he launched into his next strike, slashing with one claw while keeping guard with the other, and only the length of her sword allowed her to keep him at bay, though she was pushed back and struggled to stay on her feet while absorbing the heavy swings.

Her fast and technically flawless reactions did nothing against the pure force of the assault, and he did not even overstretch when she managed to deflect his weapon for once, but instead remained glued to the ground. That was part of his technique, he was reinforcing his muscles and reflexes while coating himself in chakra to maintain his footing on any ground, under any circumstances.

They had only traded one or two dozen blows, but her arms already felt like rubber. Then he launched into a kick, just as overwhelming as his strikes, that threw her across half of the arena. She landed on her feet, thanks to her training, but she honestly contemplated giving up. Instantly, he was upon her again, striking down with the claws so she had to angle her blade, allowing her a kick at his knee, which only made him wince.

He wouldn't let her surrender, she knew that, but this was hopeless. She would lose, and lose badly. They traded another set of blows, this time stabbing-ripping motions to take the sword from her with the hooks at the claw's tip, but she narrowly avoided the lighter attacks targeting her weapon first and foremost. Physical combat wasn't her strong suit in the first place.

With another kick, she landed in the dirt again, rolling off and ending up in a crouch. His jutsu still continued, even though it seemed like something that took a lot of chakra. If only… wait. She clasped both of her hands in one place of the hilt, instead of distributing them as for the regular grip.

His assault came again, and she seemed to weaken, her technique faltering against the onslaught. In desperation, she slashed down with her sword, failing to pierce his guard, but forcing him to use both claws to block properly. Still, she smiled. "Boar!", she exclaimed, suddenly pushing him back.

"You…!", he shouted, redoubling his assault, attacking with less predictable strikes and mixing more kicks in, but she forced his claws aside and countered the kicks with slight changes in her stance, absorbing much of the impact. She even powered through his guard, forcing him to take a step back, the shape of his weapons limiting the power he could use, while her sword gave her excellent transmission and control.

Enraged, he tried to catch the slender blade and break it between the three prongs on each of his hands, but she used the contact to pull his arms down, opening him up for another kick to the knee. Unlike the first attempt, this one produced a fleshy rupturing sound, forcing him into an unarticulated scream.

Rei looked at him horrified, even while near-automatically freeing her blade from his slacking grip and taking up a stance again. "Stop! The match is decided, this injury impairs his fighting ability", the judge, Shingen, called out. Karesu had fallen to the ground, staring at her, but after the decision was called he let his head drop down. He had lost to his own technique.

"I didn't… sorry, I misjudged how much power I gained. I forfeit this match", the girl stated, pale with shock. She had killed people when she had to, but she had never injured somebody this gravely by accident.

The boy, however, shook his head weakly, while Shingen examined the broken knee with skilled movements. "You won. I have to allow you to use this technique now that you beat… Argh", he flinched when Shingen made a rough movement, panting in pain for a moment.

"Sorry, boy. Can't do this so well with only one hand", the old man apologized while he righted the knee so he could begin with the healing.

"You have defeated me, so I have to face my punishment for showing this technique to an outsider", he voiced weakly, but with a strange pride.

"I don't have a reason to punish you, though", a voice said from above. The sunbathing guard from the mountain pass stood there.

The boy grimaced, now dejected. "Ah, teacher. I failed you", he admitted.

"Nah, I think you got me wrong somewhere", the older man said, waving his student off.

"That man is your… teacher?", Rei asked incredulously.

"That's right. I'm Tatsuo Chichuuya, leader of the Mountain Division. A Jonin, too", the laid-back man claimed.

"What? Are you the Sound Village's Kakashi Hatake or something?" Yuuki, who had come to gloat over the defeated, butted in.

The unconventional Jonin laughed. "I wish. I'm not so great. I only developed this technique with some help from your previous Hokage and her student, that Haruno girl. Actually, I wanted to give you the scroll for it anyway, but this guy just ran after you without saying what he was up to", he explained good-naturedly.

"W… what!?", Karesu burst out.

"Well, hate to say it, but you broke your knee for nothing. I wanted to step in, but I only saw the last exchange. You've gotten pretty good, though", he asserted, then looking at Rei who just stood there big-eyed, "Though you're better, girl. You still a Genin?"

"Y… yes", she answered after needing a moment to process the question.

"Go do the next exams. You'll pass with flying colors. Maybe you'll meet your crush here again", he went on.

"B… he… I don't have a crush on him!", she screamed in outrage.

"Eh, just pulling your leg", he said, the telling his student "Sorry", when the boy cringed at the mention. Or at the fact Shingen was still treating his leg, maybe.

Next to her, Yuuki felt like he got a weight off his chest.

"So, what about the exchange? I'm stoked to get the next Icha-Icha book ahead of time", Chichuuya then said.

Yugao, having calmed down somewhat in the meantime, returned to her wrathful expression. "We have nothing like that in our library", she growled.

"Really? A shame…", the Sound Jonin replied dejectedly.

Meanwhile, the three junior Leaf Ninja thought "He really is like Kakashi" in unison. Though Rei knew this wasn't quite right. Her father surely wasn't as indifferent as this man.

STOP

**Preview**

Yuuki [determined]: This time I'll do it right!

Rei [cheering]: Go, Yuuki!

[Impression of Konohagakure in the morning, slowly getting ready for the day]

Yuuki [hurried]: Afteralongjourney, wefinallyreturntoourhomes. Whilewearegiventimeforashortrest, newtrialsmakethemselvesknown.

[Team Yugao relaxing in the Uchiha estate, eating boxed lunch]

Yuuki [panting]: *huff, huff*

[View of the red-haired girl gazing at a flame hovering above her hand]

Rei [worried]: Er… Yuuki?

[Naruto staring at a messenger in dismay]

Yuuki [nervous]: Is it time? [announcer voice] Next time on "A Love Forever" **Chapter 4 – A day under the Leaves**

Yuuki [dispirited]: I screwed up again, didn't I?

Rei [comforting]: No, you… just rushed a bit too much. I'm sure you will do it perfectly next time.

Yuuki [collapsing in tears]: No! It is never enough! Never!

Rei [confused]: Are you… seriously… beating yourself up like that over a preview?

Yuuki [yelling]: Neveeeeer!


	4. A Day under the Leaves

**Chapter 4: A Day under the Leaves**

Rei rubbed her eyes. They had returned late last evening, and she had finally slept in her own bed again. Normally she woke up with sunrise, and prepared breakfast for the five of them living on the Uchiha compound.

Normally, because she had slept in today, as she realized looking at the bright morning sun.

"Well, shoot." She wasn't terribly concerned. Even though she had slowly usurped most of the household chores from her mother, Yugao would still do them in a bind.

Sliding her bedroom door aside, however, she looked at a dark, sleeping corridor, and a quick peek into her sister's room confirmed she was still fast asleep.

Even though it was time for them to head for the academy soon. This called for drastic measures.

Her family lived in several of the buildings, now that her siblings were beyond needing permanent attention, with one of them for her and both her brother and her sister, one of them for their parents and one for meals and other family activities besides their daily training, which they used one of the many dojos for.

On the courtyard of this grouping of houses, originally the residence for the head of the clan, was a large, old gong, probably to call the family together for meetings. After a fashion, she planned to use it for that purpose, too.

However, since they still were the only inhabitants of the compound, they had only used it for child's games back when she and her siblings were still younger, there was no stick to sound it properly.

Deciding to eschew this particular tradition of her clan, she hit it with her palm instead, producing a nice, loud noise. Smiling, she hit it again for good measure. Then another time for fun.

After that one, her mother sleepily stumbled out of her cabin. "Rei, today's a holiday. We don't need to get up yet", she said with slight reproach.

Flustered, the girl backed down. "S… sorry then. I was confused since I woke up late, and there was still nobody on their feet", Rei replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, stupidhead, let us sleep already", Minato complained after barging out of their lodge, his sister in tow who was still rubbing her eyes.

Yugao, now a bit more herself, glared at him. "Then again, it's about time we get up either way. Rei, please make breakfast. Minato, apologize for insulting your sister and go wash", she ordered.

"But…" His resistance was defeated the moment he met his mother's eyes. "Sorry, Rei-neesan", he intoned earnestly.

"That was cute of you, you get an extra manju after breakfast", Rei promised.

The boy's eyes lit up so much she could see it across the whole courtyard. "Really?", he asked excitedly, before he realized. "Um, don't call me cute, I'm ten already", he complained loudly.

Rei just laughed it off and went for the larger house that contained the kitchen, among other things.

* * *

Owing to the style of their accommodation, the Hatake family had adapted coastal food practices, though Rei had been – again – the driving force behind this. The adults weren't very picky eaters, and while Yugao did prepare food quite nicely, she had ceded that duty to Rei, who was rather more enthusiastic.

The other two children had been somewhat dragged along, with Minato, the loud one, often demanding something special and often quite outrageous, which Rei usually ignored, with her mother's blessing. Rin, who was unusually quiet and low-key, simply had never voiced her opinion, but careful study of her eating behavior revealed that it seemed to have grown on her.

So, while they were drinking Miso soup and eating fish, Minato tried to coax some of his younger sibling's food, as usual, which Rei in turn tried to prevent. The two of them were a bit over three years apart, with Rin born a few months after Naruto's wedding, and young Minato had taken being the middle child as a challenge.

While the boy named after the fourth Hokage fought his desperate battle for what - he claimed - was his due, their parents didn't let it bother them much, and brushed hands while passing the soy sauce bottle or exchanged loving glances, somehow managing to have a quiet breakfast despite the squabbling siblings.

Not much of effect was said until after the meal. "So, do you all remember what holiday we have today?", Yugao asked then, openly, but with a slight melancholy. Her husband made an unusually serious expression, which seemed to confuse Minato. "Uh…", he couldn't remember. Rin seemed to seriously try, or at least she screwed up her face in thought.

Rei, meanwhile, had to count days after tediously staying in hospital for days and then being sent on a longer mission. Still, she succeeded, and her face took a gloomy expression.

"Rememberance Day, isn't it", she voiced. Her mother nodded, Minato groaned.

Kakashi took the word. "Well, that means we'll be visiting the graves until it's time for lunch. Later we're going to meet up with Naruto and my old team and Yugao's old team, though, you're free to meet your own friends then", he said with only a shadow of his usual cheer.

"Does that mean I don't have to stay at the banquet?", Minato asked excitedly, missing the point.

"No, you don't have to. But make sure to ask whether your friends are free, too", Yugao reminded him.

While the boy with the peculiar purple-streaked grayish hair brimmed with expectation, Rei recalled whom she had to visit today. Of course, her birth father's grave, and the Uchiha section of the cemetery as a whole, even though she only dimly recalled anything before growing up in Konohagakure, and most of the people buried there had been long dead before she was even born.

She would probably go back to accompany her parents and siblings on their lengthy stretch of visits, since she thankfully hadn't accumulated any more dead aside from her extinct clan. Where her birth mother was buried, she didn't even know, and she had no memory of her she could point out.

For the second part of the day, remembering those you live with and rely on, she would probably also sneak off from the banquet to meet with her own team, even though she relied on many more people than them. This holiday was still rather new, but that was more along the spirit of it, she assumed.

"Did you make plans for today?", her mother asked warmly.

Rei shook her head. "I think I'll pay my respects at the graves of my clan, and leave the banquet to meet with Yuuki and Ken after I talked with Naruto-niisan. They shouldn't have anything much to do this afternoon, since Yuuki's clan doesn't let his father and him participate and Ken's clan usually doesn't keep him for very long", she elaborated.

Her parents nodded. The silence lingered for a bit.

"So my cute children will leave me all alone with the stuffy adults?", Kakashi mock-complained, finally mustering up a spark of humor.

"Hey! Since when am I stuffy?", Yugao complained back, not making the transition as easily.

"I'm not cute", Minato, again, stated.

"You're married and have children, that makes you stuffy", Kakashi nonsensically claimed.

"But then you would be stuffy, as well", his wife countered, getting more in the swing.

"No, because I'm a man. I still have dreams to fulfill", he worked himself up.

Yugao felt strangely reminded of Might Guy's grand pathos. Maybe her husband was doing impressions now. Then she would change tactics, she thought, leaning closer to him so she could whisper in his ear. "You said something else last night", she breathed too low for the children to hear.

He sputtered, wholly out of character for him. "No! I too have grown stuffy! Woe me!", he screamed at the ceiling, then collapsed.

When he pulled himself together again, his face carried the accustomed detached expression, while Minato pouted endearingly, mumbling about being called cute all the time and that it wasn't true, and Yugao wiped a single tear. Rei smiled at the attempt to lighten the mood, even though her father probably had the hardest time out of all of them.

Then Rin, unusually, spoke up. "I… will stay with you", she said in a small voice.

"Nah", Kakashi brushed her off, "meet with some friends from class. Else you might catch the stuffiness, too", he said in a completely serious tone, which made Rei and her mother giggle despite themselves.

Rin still declined. "I don't want to."

Her father and teacher frowned. "Any reason?", he asked a bit worriedly. This was still more emotion than he usually showed, except to his family.

His youngest child shook her head, wordlessly.

He sighed. "After today", he said, mostly to himself.

Afterwards, they stood up, with Rei doing the dishes, before they got ready to leave.

* * *

The cemetery was made up of endless rows of near-identical gravestones, with a large, elevated sculpture at one border, where a squat wall, maybe five meters high, held back the forest.

Some of the clans more concerned about grave robbery had separate sections with metal fences, off to the side, where it didn't hurt the impression as much. The Uchiha clan in particular had an oppressive-seeming black iron cage around their graves, all of which only held cremated bones and ashes.

Rei didn't like the separation this produced, but she hadn't gathered the resolve to have the cage torn down, like the fence around the Hyuuga Clan's graves had been a few years before. Thus, she had to bear it for a moment, while single ninja or small groups wandered around outside, visiting the graves of people they had lost.

Her parents in particular tended to need all morning for their visits, Kakashi more so than Yugao, but this was true for many current or former ANBU operatives and those who had fought in any of the recent wars.

Still, the cemetery was large enough to give all of them some space to think, which could not really be called good.

In the enforced "space" of her clan, Rei simply read the inscriptions, trying to connect them with what she had read about the clan history or in some cases the people buried here themselves. She lingered longer in front of the stone that said "Itachi Uchiha", which held her birth father's ashes. However, she still could not summon up any true memory, only snippets of a voice and some shadowy presence, muddled by her infantile perception.

It might help her father and mother deal with their past losses to remember and move on a little more each year, but she felt only frustrated by her lack of memories. A frustration she could never resolve.

Because of this, she did the next best thing and left, without sealing the door that had remained unsealed since before she was even born.

When she quietly walked away to look for her family, somebody called out "Hey, Princess", loud and rudely. Frowning, she turned around to face some of her former classmates.

The girl who had spoken was Kara Aburame, who wore unusually light and fashionable clothing by her clan's standards, with a long, black, slit skirt, part of some kind of dress that included a likewise black bodice and loose sleeves that were slit as well, but only white fabric shone through. She also wore black lipstick, and her head and throat were uncovered, though she still hid her eyes behind glasses.

She was something of a nemesis to Rei, or at least the fashion-conscious girl considered herself such.

With her were the other two members of her team, Raki Nonoshi, a weedy, condescending boy, though quite skilled, and Morai Hijiri, a dead-eyed orphan who spoke so rarely Rei couldn't recall what her voice sounded like. The latter didn't join in on the bullying that the other two felt entitled to after being dressed down back at the academy by Kakashi so often and now having made Chuunin before the Uchiha heir's team. As of the recent exam.

"So Princess deigns to leave her cage on some days? I thought you just stayed in there, wallowing in self-pity", the unconventional Aburame sneered. Rei had never been sure what the girl's problem was, maybe she wasn't on a good standing in her clan or something.

"Give it a rest already, Kara-san. We're alone at a graveyard, there's nobody you need to posture for", Rei said with a level, even bored voice, eyes studying the three Chuunin. "Except for your team, but do you really need to posture in front of those two? Are you that insecure?"

"What!", the gloomily-dressed girl hissed, "Who do you think you are that you can judge me, princess? You're just the heir of a dead clan, daughter of their murderer! I pity you!", she spat out, shaking in fury.

Rei couldn't help herself, and smiled sweetly. "Likewise. Can I go now? My extended family also has a lot of dead people to pay their respects to", she requested.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Rei! We easily made Chuunin, while you, that "talented" Inuzuka and that mindless Takamichi drone still haven't. You're just an overrated, spoiled loser ninja", Raki joined in since his team leader was fuming too much to devise any good counter.

The Uchiha girl drooped a little, she knew it was just bullying, but she also felt she was being spoiled too much, even though neither Kakashi nor her mother had held back anything while training her, as far as she could tell.

"We'll see about that. I need to go now", she said more sharply than intended and walked off along the graves, seeing an older ninja nod to her before he glared at the three Chuunin again, whom she heard mumbling behind her.

It gave her way too much satisfaction to have stood them up on their renewed attempt on getting to her. Even though they had succeeded in giving her something to think.

* * *

After continuing to visit graves mostly in silence, except for the occasional outbreak of impatience of the otherwise unusually subdued Minato, they moved on to the meeting spot with the former teams Kakashi and Hizashi.

On the walk, Rei asked her parents about the thing she had thought about since her unpleasant meeting this morning. "Do you think I'm spoiled?"

Minato perked up and was the first to answer. "I think you're annoying. You always boss me around", he complained.

Rei smiled. "Well, I am you older sister, Minato-chan."

"Don't call me -chan!", the growing boy yelled in anger. He hated the affectionate suffix as much as being called cute, if not more so.

His sister apologized to him in the back of her head, she had needed the levity.

"Why're ya asking? Are you putting on fat?", her father asked bluntly.

The girl blushed. "No! And if I did, you would be the last to know!", she blurted out.

The Copy Ninja just tapped his bandana-turned-eyepatch. "Ya sure?"

"We wouldn't mind it if you filled out a bit more, sweetheart, you really are a bit lean for your age", her mother good-naturedly got in on the fun.

Rei reflexively slapped her head, face red. "This… isn't about my figure… or anything", she said slowly through her hand, having stopped walking.

Minato had a field day with the idea, chanting "Rei is getting fa-at, Rei is getting fa-at", in his high-pitched little boy voice.

A glare of the decidedly not fat eldest child shut him up.

"I think I let my training slide too much. That girl in the forest could've killed me because I was too careless, and I picked up somebody's jutsu entirely by accident. Then I broke his knee because I couldn't control my power", she conveyed her self-doubt.

Yugao touched her shoulder. "I've seen Naruto test the girl before we left for Sonogakure, and her style is both reckless and dangerous. I don't think any Genin can be expected to handle that. If anything, your mistake was trying to capture her, instead of directly knocking her out or even avoiding her", the mother said comfortingly, before taking her hand back again.

"The matter in Sonogakure was different, from what you told me, you should be more restrained, even when surprised by something that could well be an attack. You were careless there, but I can't blame you for making a mistake with an unfamiliar jutsu. If it bothers you this much, you should just train more, or ask your father to give you additional lessons. He's the only one who still has a Sharingan besides you, after all", she continued, now in her teacher-voice.

Her child and student nodded. "Yes, I will", she promised, then looked to her father. "If you will teach me, honorable Jonin", the girl said with a supplicant bow.

Unconcerned, her father scratched his cheek. "Yah. Tomorrow, by the stones", he offered.

"Understood", she said formally, smiling.

After the short exchange, they proceeded to meet with the others.

* * *

"… and then she pierced through his tongue with the Lightning Trident, but he only twitched once and laughed. Like it did nothing", an inebriated Iruka reminisced to one particular battle in the Summoning War, years back.

"Well, he was just too big, so the shock didn't do much", Yugao defended her actions.

"Little did he know, however, that Gamazashi had snuck up on him, so with his tongue numb and pinned, he was easy pickings. And that was how we got enough rations for the rest of the war… and defeated one annoying frog. You fought him once when you were younger, didn't you, Naruto?", the man with the scar across his nose ended his story and passed the torch to his former student.

"Yeah, Hinata and Sakura were also there at the time, this was when I first summoned 'Zashi. By accident, to be honest, but I have no regrets. However, no thanks for reminding me that we had to eat dried frog for months while we were stuck fighting on those islands", the spiky-haired blonde grimaced in remembered disgust.

"You did cook some nice things with it, though…", his silver-eyed wife comforted.

"Maybe I should have written a cookbook about that later. "1001 ways to prepare giant ninja frogs with only seaweed", by Geroto Geromaki", the at times reluctant chef mumbled.

"Actually, I still like eating frog…", Anko confessed, to almost everybody's consternation.

Rei, who had stuck around longer than she had planned, was getting antsy. "Why did you eat an enemy frog in the first place?", she still asked, drawn into the story against her will.

Iruka, scratched his head self-consciously. "Well, there wasn't much people could eat there, and having the summons bring stuff with them only goes so far…", he tried to justify.

"Come on, just tell her I bullied you into it", the snake summoner claimed, jokingly boxing her husband on the shoulder.

"Maybe it also had to do with 'Zashi leaning on me since she was sick of being used as a pack mule", Naruto admitted, seconds later joining in on the laughter.

Rei also laughed, but she started to really feel out of place with nearly no stories of her own to tell.

As he picked up on it, Kakashi got her attention. "You go look for your friends. There's nothing but weary old warriors in here", he whispered to her.

She nodded. "I'll leave you to your stories, then", she said, standing up. Rin had actually left before her; they had run into some of her classmates on the way to the Golden Shoe, where they were meeting.

"We'll try not to have them eat us", Kakashi joked when they saw her off.

On her way out, she waved to the waiter who had been tending to the back room they had been using. When she stepped on the street, she noticed, however, that she wouldn't need to look for her friends, Ken and Kuroyuuki were already there, leaning to a wall.

"There you are. We were worried when they said you hadn't left the room yet", Ken told her as she stepped closer, "that is, Yuuki was worried, I just told him you got caught up in their pace", he clarified.

"I don't know what they're doing in there. Of course I'm worried", the tall boy said defensively.

"Nah, it was all fine. They just talked about the wars and what else they did together. I just don't get to hear it from this side so often", the girl calmed him down, still a bit flushed from the suspense herself.

"You don't? I thought, with you having both teacher and… Mr. Hatake as parents and being close with the Hokage, you got to hear it all", Yuuki wondered.

"Not as much as you think. I was still a bit too young when they came back from the fighting, and other than today, they don't talk about it much. I don't ask them, either", she explained.

"Huh. My father always talks about his life, all the time. Guess there's lots of different kinds of people", the tan Inuzuka said, petting his dog. The yellow-golden ninken had finally healed up, so they were once again inseparable.

"How about the rest of your clan? Do they talk to you?", Rei pried.

"Only when they have to. Me and father are outsiders to them. Actually, I rarely get to talk with adults, aside from father and my cousin Kiba, and maybe some shopkeepers", he explained, sounding a little bitter. "No use dwelling on that, though. You said you had a plan for today, Rei?"

Rei felt a little sheepish for her question, or maybe that she hadn't noticed how much her teammate was removed from his clan before. "Yeah", she answered after a moment, "I made some Bento for us, so we can just stay at my house or something. We could also go for a movie, but I'm not really in the mood."

"Then we just don't go. Me and Yuuki had a run-in with some old acquaintances, so we're not too keen on mingling, either", Ken decided.

Rei frowned at that. "Who was it?"

"Team Shino, the high-and-mighty super Chuunin who just barely scraped by in the last exam. Damn, I'll show them up next time when I ace it and leave them in the dust", Yuuki growled. Kinmaru wimpered to snap his human out of it, which made the dog-trainer squat down and tousle his fur.

"You met them too? Are they stalking us or something?", Rei asked.

The boy shook his head, still petting Kinmaru. "They sure haven't told me."

"Maybe they heard we were given the task to exchange scrolls with Sonogakure this time, and got jealous. I think they were in the village as well when we left", Ken guessed.

"That sounds like them. I wonder how they were even made Chuunin despite being so petty", the "princess" assented.

"Supposedly they do pretty well once neither us nor Team Kiba are around. They're just competitive if they're up against other teenagers", Yuuki said, more levelheaded now. More levelheaded than he was most of the time, in fact.

"Kiba told me some time ago, after I got into that brawl with Raki. Actually, he's old friends with Shino, but their teams hate each other's guts even worse than we do. Especially one of the girls, she even considered dropping out because of it", he continued.

"And he just tells you that?", Rei inquired confusedly. Her mother was very diligent with keeping things like this from her or any other students, as was her father, after a fashion.

"Well, he's also quite talkative sometimes. Maybe it runs in my family", he joked, standing up.

"Still, it makes no sense they get on our case today of all times. They even hazed me at the cemetery", the last living Uchiha returned to their previous topic.

"At the cemetery? Really? What were they doing there, finding some corpses for Kara to munch on?", Yuuki quipped.

His crush gave him a sour look. "That wasn't funny."

He crumbled.

"Sorry", Rei backed down, "You just wanted to cheer us up, I know. Let's not dwell on what those idiots do and get going", she said with slightly forced happiness.

"Yeah, let's", the boy answered, sounding relieved.

Ken simply nodded, dwelling on the matter anyway. But he wasn't the type to let it get into the way of having fun with his friends, so he followed them with a smile.

* * *

After a few bites of boxed lunch, they lounged on the open corridors that surrounded the old-style main building, enjoying the late august sun.

"Do you want to talk about our last two missions?", Rei asked after a while, since nobody said anything.

"It was quite a change of pace, wasn't it? From doing back-work and occasionally hunting bandits to suddenly fighting some kind of vagabond ninja who could burn you with a touch and simply plowed through genjutsu, or being sent to do an important trade with another village and… er… being subjected to a misunderstanding", Ken summarized, stumbling a little when he recalled Rei's duel.

"I really was at fault there. I can't believe I broke somebody's knee by accident", the girl in question blamed herself.

"Hey, that idiot totally overreacted. Who challenges somebody to a duel over that? Somebody from an allied village, even", Yuuki defended his friend's actions.

"Maybe you're right. I'm just happy it worked out so well, he… er… Karesu, I think, he could walk again on the same evening", that same friend allowed.

"You don't sound relieved, though", Ken noticed.

"I…", she began.

"This is something you couldn't help happening. What is he, anyway, skulking around at night in a bathing spot", the tallest of their group interrupted her.

The girl chuckled. "It was in the middle of the wilderness, and I didn't make my presence known, either. We could probably both have handled it better", she asserted, "But I think I still have a ways to go before I can call myself a Chuunin. Except by those guys' standards."

"No way, if anybody from our team isn't fit to become a Chuunin, it's me. I still can't walk on water every time", Yuuki claimed. His dog yapped once as if to underscore his statement.

"I don't think Chuunin are promoted solely because of their ability to walk on water", Ken joked. "You know Rock Lee, who trained us in Taijutsu for one term? He's a Tokubetsu Jonin, but he can barely use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all, or anything besides basic chakra techniques. You just lack control, but you probably have better chakra reserves than any of us two", he explained.

"Thanks, but I think that only makes it harder to control. Most of it goes to waste, and Rei is better at fire jutsu than me, even though that's my best elemental release", the suspiciously pyromanic ninja whined.

"Hey, I'd dishonor my clan if I allowed myself to be bad at fire techniques", his Uchiha teammate claimed, mostly joking.

"But you don't even like using fire. And I think you said your father told you it isn't your affinity, or something", the boy further from all the well-informed ace ninja pouted.

"No, my chakra affinities are water and fire, but mostly water. I think that means I can mold my chakra for water jutsu very well, but those are a bit situational. I'm not very good at using anything besides that, yet. Actually, I'm a bit jealous you can use three types of nature release so well, Yuuki", Rei admitted.

"Come on, I can't be as good as you. You have the Sharingan, I only have a good nose and shaggy hair", he exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure that isn't part of your bloodline, just look at your cousin Hana", Ken laughed.

The straight-haired kunochi chuckled, then stood up, casting a challenging glance at her Inuzuka teammate. "Do you want to try?", she asked, smirking.

"What, ninjutsu training? In the middle of your courtyard?" The tan boy seemed shocked.

"I always do it here if I'm training on my own", she shrugged, "it's large enough, and the buildings are actually hardened to withstand fire or other elements. Besides, what are you going to do? Use the epicenter jutsu or call on a thunderstorm?", the girl prodded.

"I wish. How do you want to do this?", he asked, quite eager to prove himself despite his words.

"You sign something, and I copy it. We should both be facing the outer wall, so we don't accidentally hit each other", she suggested.

"Sounds good. That means, I'll start", he agreed, thinking for a moment.

"That one", he simply stated, beginning a sequence including "dragon" in two places. Rei noticed he seemed quite used to this set of signs. "Raiton: Thunderclap Technique", he exclaimed, Rei echoing a split second later. They both thrust their right hand out, wreathed in weak purple discharges and producing a loud crack once their arms were fully extended. The dust covering the courtyard was blown away in two small clouds.

"There, your cloud isn't much smaller", he stated then, sounding a little disappointed.

"But you signed faster than me. Normally I would be exactly as fast as you", she said, pointing at her now red-and-black irises.

"Eh. Another one?", he asked, not sounding defeated in the least.

"Challenging you on your home court, then", he began another sequence, this time including "Tiger" for a fire technique. Rei smiled at his gutsiness. "Katon: Blazing Whip!", they both exclaimed in near-perfect unison, slashing as with a knife hand, but holding it so the chakra could ignite the air streaming between their fingers, producing a long, narrow torrent of fire that lashed out a few meters, scorching black marks into the dust.

"Huh, yours was actually darker", the boy noticed with surprise.

"Seems I'm not that good at close-range techniques. The Sharingan can copy only technique, not skill, that is one of its main drawbacks", Rei explained. She smiled at him. "Another one?"

Responding with a smile himself, the Inuzuka nodded. "You said I can use three elements well, and though I don't believe you, I can still let you see for yourself", he challenged her again.

"A mid-range one this time", he muttered, she reading his lips even though she didn't face him directly. The snake seal, for an earth technique. Rei hesitated a moment, she couldn't do earth release at all. But for the sake of the match… After finishing a longer string of zodiac signs, Yuuki shouted: "Doton: Ground Tide", producing a small ripple running through the courtyard, starting a few meters in front of him and mounting up maybe a meter high before collapsing into dust again.

"There, not enough to even trip somebody", he said, looking at the small pile of earth remaining of his technique in disappointment. He had done better than that in training.

Rei looked at him funny.

"What is it…" he asked, looking over to her pile of earth, or lack thereof. He only saw a small spread of sand a meter and a half in front of her. "Come on, you aren't being serious. Do it properly", he demanded, probably thinking she had failed on purpose.

She shook her head. "This is the best I can do. I can't use earth or wind techniques yet. Father… from what I know, both Kakashi and my birth father could use all five elements, but at least Kakashi had to train a lot for it, and he still isn't very good with wind techniques", she explained, smiling weakly.

"I poured a lot into this one, too, but it was just raw chakra fading to nothing, and only a bit turned into earth chakra", the girl added, sounding a little tired.

"My father promised me to train me more tomorrow. This isn't going to do for the Chuunin trials", she finally said, sitting down on the elevated border corridor of her house.

"Still, you were both pretty impressive. I can only use earth release yet, and I know Ground Tide is a high-level technique. Even though you didn't make a large wave, I'm surprised you know it at all, Yuuki", Ken analyzed their performance.

"And you can do Genjutsu in combat, while I can't even release them all the time in training. As for that jutsu, my father taught it to me, he's pretty good with earth release, albeit he's a bad teacher. Maybe I should look this one up on a proper scroll", he mused, "Do you think teacher will let me?", he asked Rei.

"Huh? I doubt she will keep you, with the tradition our village has of people teaching themselves A-rank techniques as Genin, I'm surprised nobody has tried to teach us any yet", she joked, a little more lively now.

"But those were all geniuses! Just look at them, they all became Jonin before they were even twenty, and some of them even made full Jonin after only being ranked a Tokujo at first. I hear out Hokage even took on a whole ninja village alone when he was not even seventeen!", the tan average ninja clamored.

"On the downside, they had even stronger enemies. And Naruto-niisan was a Jinchuuriki, his chakra supply still is many times as large as any other ninja in the village. Still, he told me he considers himself at most evenly matched with Haruno-san, the head of the medical division, or his own wife, Hinata-san. We were given a bit more time to develop, but I'm sure they're not as far beyond our reach as it seems right now", she reasoned, a bit to herself, to calm her own feelings that it was indeed true, and she might never be on even terms with even her mother, much less her father, the renown genius, or his students, whom even surpassed him, as he claimed.

They kept silent for a while, each pondering on their own.

"So, I think I'm up for another round now. Let's see how I fare against you in Taijutsu", Rei directed at a confused Yuuki.

"Are you out for my head or something?", he wanted to know.

"Nah. I just "remembered" we still need to train being a good team so we can rely on each other", she smiled.

"Then count me in", he said, happy that she had asked him especially.

Ken, noticing that in his friend, chuckled and got up himself.

* * *

"Good, now try moving the flame around a little", Naruto said, the small speck of fire wandering back and forth over the extended palm.

"Do you think you can move it in a circle?" After an assenting noise, the ember made a rough circle, flickering a little when it moved too far to the edge of the hand.

"Okay. Seems you control has gotten a lot better in the short time you trained", he praised his student lightly.

The thin girl nodded, moving the flame to rest in the middle of her palm, where it grew a little and burned more evenly.

"We're done for today, you can put it out now", he clarified. The girl nodded again, closing her hand as if to grasp the flame, but snuffing it instead.

"Maybe try doing it with only chakra control, that way you don't burn yourself", the Hokage suggested with slight resignation.

Blinking slowly, the girl looked at her hand, only a little flushed where she had touched her own chakra. "It isn't burned", she simply stated.

"Yeah, maybe you are pretty robust yourself, but take it from me, relying on that won't get you very far against a skilled opponent", he advised. He had relied on that often, but it was more thanks to his luck and his teammates that he actually lived through it, and it had been very close a few times.

"Especially since you seem to like neglecting your own safety. If you want to work at our village, you'll need to protect yourself, or you'll endanger your teammates", he ended his thought out loud.

She shook her head strongly. "I won't endanger them", she said, making it sound like a pledge.

The Hokage shortly wondered if he had been too intense when he explained her then concept of "teamwork". He smiled. "Why do I get the feeling that means "I won't endanger them because I will attract all the danger and make sure there isn't any left for them"? This isn't how you do it; each of you takes a share so nobody has to carry the burden all by themselves. You may be pretty good for you age, but you're not skilled enough to do that. And you can only learn to take on a challenge all by yourself without endangering your life by doing it together with others first, so you can see where your limits are", he explained.

The girl simply nodded, again showing only a minimal reaction. Sometimes he wondered if she even understood what he said. But she probably got at least some of it, otherwise her progress wouldn't be like this. Then, she suddenly spoke up. "This is my punishment. If I am in danger, your people aren't", she stated in an all-too-level voice.

Naruto nearly yelled at her. "Don't say that! They would still try to protect you, and I won't let you go out there before I can be sure you won't throw your life away", he sharply admonished her, before calming himself down. He wouldn't get anywhere by trying to shake her out of her deathwish. But for times when his favorite negotiation tactic failed, he had a fallback by now: veiled kindness.

"Your punishment isn't dying, it's surviving and accepting the help of your team, helping them in turn. I won't let you sneak out of that so easily", he said with a slightly forced smile. It was still more his style to just rattle people until they started making sense, though.

She looked up at him a little, with some movement in her eyes. "I will accept my punishment", she said in a mechanical voice that somehow still sounded confused.

"Good enough. Then I'll introduce you to your team tomorrow. Bye", he said, before dismissing himself, vanishing in a puff of discarded chakra as any Shadow Clone did. The girl remained alone in her cell, with a barred and reinforced window offering a few of the slowly setting sun.

She stared at the spot where the older man had vanished for a few minutes, then stretched out on her bed and closed her eyes.

Her guards were never quite sure if she really slept all that time or if she was simply messing with them.

* * *

In his office, the – supposedly – original Naruto poured over the results of today's training of the girl, comparing her with the other students he had had in his time as a regular Jonin of the village.

His conclusion was that she might not even be the oddest one, her quietness simply stood out.

A knock on the door kept him from reaching further insights. "Yes?", he said normally.

One of his secretaries, actually one of the former students he had mused about, poked his head in. "Ah, you are not busy. Can I send a messenger in?", the bespectacled chuunin asked. He looked disturbingly similar to Kabuto, but his hair was black and he was way too young. Still, it gave a man who still remembered Orochimaru and his preference for stealing bodies a chill sometimes.

"Yes, send him in. Or her", Naruto said, shutting his overactive imagination up.

As it turned out, it was a him.

"I bring a missive from the honorable Daimyo Honokata-heika. May I request your permission to have me read it, honored Hokage-kakka?", the royal messenger groveled.

Naruto had to keep himself from moaning. Where did all those overly formal types come from and how could he shut down that nefarious conspiracy that was surely behind all of it. "Thank you, but it will be enough to hand it over to me", he answered in a polite and level voice. Somehow.

"Of course", the messenger said with some confusion, bowing deeply while he extended the scroll with both hands.

Naruto hadn't had the opportunity to talk with Nyoko often after she became Daimyo and he went on missions as a Jonin, but they wrote each other relatively often, even more since he had become Hokage and she could cite a legitimate reason to keep in touch with him. Because of this, he easily recognized and deciphered her handwriting, even when in the baroque formal style.

Then he stared at the messenger with the places where he would get wrinkles one day creased. "I'll dictate an answer for her as soon as I've decided whom I will send. Will you mind if I send one of my own couriers to give it to her?", he half-asked.

"Surely your courier would be faster than a mere commoner, thus of course it would be preferable in the service of my ruler, Hokage-kakka", the messenger answered glibly. Naruto wasn't sure if he really meant that or he actually didn't like it, but this wasn't something where he was going to pry.

"Good. Then go rest up, get something to eat and leave tomorrow, you won't arrive before the message does anyway, so you can just as well take your time. If anybody asks, say I made you. Dismissed", the Hokage shot out. Even though he didn't like it, sometimes this "veiled kindness" thing was pretty fun after all.

"Deepest gratitude, honorable Hokage-kakka", the messenger drawled, then walked backwards out of the door, never once releasing his bow.

Naruto cringed when the door shut. "I really will get you one day, Gireitsuki!", he mumbled, finally sure of the name this new threat held. Yeah, right.

* * *

The next day, he ordered team Yugao to his office, what probably surprised the children, but their teacher already knew what this was about.

Thus, she reacted with careful consideration to the new face, while the tan Inuzuka boy snarled, his gray-haired Takamichi teammate coldly examined and Rei just looked with confusion.

"Well then, meet Takeri Ankoku, Genin of Konohagakure on probation", Naruto opened up.

* * *

**Preview**

Kuroyuuki [enraged]: What? He's going to put that nutcase in our team? Is he trying to kill us?

Kuroyuuki [horrified]: Did we fail him and outlive our usefulness!?

Rei [patient]: Yuuki, Naruto-niisan isn't an evil overlord.

Kuroyuuki [deadpan]: Well, what else would he be with a title like "Fire Shadow of the Ninja Village hidden beneath the Leaves"?

Rei [even more patient]: You should just meet with him for an afternoon. You'll see, he's a completely nice and open-minded person. Maybe train with him.

Kuroyuuki [breaking in cold sweat]: Didn't… he… study under… [horror movie violin] Kakashi?

Rei [beyond patient]: …

Rei [resigned]: Just do the preview before I stop being nice.

[Team Yugao and Takeri at the training field with the stones, standing side by side with the newcomer facing them]

Kuroyuuki [distressed]: Err… We have a new teammate, but it's somebody we fought before.

[Takeri holding off an attacking Kuroyuuki, while Rei jumps at her flank with water collecting over the palm]

Kuroyuuki [trying to sound foreboding]: Will we be able to stand together with her… or will we stand together against her.

[Team Shino and a familiar gray-haired woman being instructed by Naruto in the Hokage office]

Kuroyuuki [seriously confused]: Meanwhile, those jerks and Shino-san are given an important mission, and it seems there's another Jonin with them. What's up with that?

Kuroyuuki [worried]: Will they get more screen time?

Ken [deadpan]: Probably not.

Kuroyuuki [relieved]: Right. [clearing his throat] Hrhrm. [announcer voice] Coming next - A Love Forever, **Chapter Five – Introducing Takeri Ankoku**

Kuroyuuki [in a small voice]: Hopefully on time again.

Rei [excited]: You did really well today, Kuroyuuki! Did you practice?

Kuroyuuki [gracefully]: I did, but… it was your cheering that motivated me in the end.

Rei [fierce]: Oh? Maybe I should be less nice in general if that works so well…

Kuroyuuki [somehow speaking in onomatopoeia]: *wimper*

Sakura [cautionary]: Believe me, on general principle, it doesn't.

Ken [confused]: Where did you suddenly come from?

Sakura [grandiose]: Metaplot!

[scene fades to black]


	5. Introducing Takeri Ankoku

**Chapter 5: Introducing Takeri Ankoku**

„Are you serious? She attacked us, so why…" Only then, Yuuki remembered who he was talking to. "Sir. Can you please tell me why you made a dangerous bandit a Genin?", he inquired more politely. His dog, meanwhile, wimpered next to his feet, tail between the legs.

"You can yell at me if you want. I don't stand on formality", the Hokage replied then, "Especially since you're a friend of Rei. There's enough people around who can't relax around me, I don't need this from you, too."

The face below the blonde spikes seemed earnest. Yuuki looked down. "Sorry. I'm just not used to speaking with higher-ups like… Sorry, Mr. Uzumaki."

"No need to apologize. You have a right to your opinion, and I think I can understand why this upsets you. It's difficult to make friends with people who hurt you and those around you", Naruto conceded, frowning in thought.

"May I speak?", Ken interjected.

"You don't have to ask. What I told Kuroyuuki is true for you too, Ken", the slightly older ninja said with a smile.

Ken grimaced. "I guess I have trouble dropping the formality as well. But why did you call us? I assume you want to team her up with us, but wouldn't a team that doesn't hold animosity against her be the better choice?", he asked, reinforcing his friend's argument.

The man sitting behind the table seemed worried, while the girl hadn't said a thing. Even her eyes barely moved when the two had called her into question. "Is that true? Do all of you, as a team, hate her?"

Yuuki tensed as if to answer, but when before he could, he noticed his friends were less decisive. Ken looked baffled, Kinmaru hesitantly sniffed the air and Rei appeared sad, slowly shaking her head. "She didn't have much of a choice in doing what she did, did she? Nii-san?", Rei asked.

Naruto smiled. "No, she didn't. Her survival training isn't complete, so she stole what she needed from the passing traders. She really was too aggressive doing that, and she did hurt Hibiki and Jiraya when she felt cornered, as well as you and Kuroyuuki. That's why I think it's important to teach her controlling herself better. But there's only so much I can do, so I called you in", he explained, then pausing for a moment.

The teenagers were listening intently, while their teacher still held herself back. "I'm not asking you to team up with you on the spot or anything. Just train with her for today, and see how you match up. It'd be good if you could forgive her, but if it doesn't work, or if you don't feel you can form a team for a reason, I won't push you into anything." He smiled. "Three plus one is the smallest possible group, after all. I think you of all people should be able to handle being in a team of four", he confided.

Yuuki couldn't help but scratch the bag of his head in embarrassment. "Well… if even the Hokage trusts us to do it… Still, I don't see myself working with that girl. Sorry", he said, pointing at the redhead supposedly named Takeri.

"Just try it, you'll see. One of my best friends started out trying to kill me back when I was your age, and he was way further gone than our aspirant ninja here", the adult shinobi beamed. "Or do you have any objections about trying out with them, Takeri?", he addressed the silent girl.

She now wore a simple, leaf-green shirt with chainmail beneath it, up to her collar, and a skirt with shorts like most of the female Genin, where Rei, much like Hinata back in her time, had opted for light trousers instead.

However, thanks to Takeri's forearms and shins being wrapped in protective bandages, she failed to look particularly girly. Despite being in the village for weeks now, she still was bony and thin, though maybe that was her disposition.

"You're not saying anything, is that a yes or a no?", Naruto repeated with slight amusement.

"It does not matter. I accept your judgement", she muttered.

"Oh, come on. They're your age, aren't you at least a bit excited to spend some time with them instead of me old fart?", the veteran Jonin depreciated himself jokingly.

"I… don't know. I never met somebody near my age aside from my brother", the girl confessed. She seemed a little despondent, if that could be said with how little her expression ever changed.

"Huh. Hadn't thought about that", the Hokage blurted. By this point, Ken and Yuuki were just gaping at the head of their village making a fool of himself, while Rei chuckled despite herself, and Yugao smiled at her superior lightening the mood.

"Eh, guess there's a first time for anything. You up for it?", the man famous for his lighthearted attitude asked her again.

"I… don't have any objections", the former outlaw answered helplessly.

"Good. That wraps it up. Now scram, I gotta take care of the next meeting", the blonde Hokage shooed them out in the least dignified way possible, even going as far as getting up and pushing them through the door, Takeri, dog and all.

He grinned broadly once they were out. How he managed to stay at least somewhat serious while trying to break the ice, he did not know.

Outside, however, the mood cooled down rapidly when a known set of black lips smirked at the potential team of five. "Very smooth exit, Princess. Did Uzumaki-sama throw you out?", Kara Aburame smirked.

The black-and-white garbed girl was here with her whole team, which eyed them, safe the dead-eyed Morai and their leader Shino, who instead glared at his young relative, and of course the gray-haired woman leaning against the wall didn't involve herself either, if anything, she gave them a supportive smile.

So, actually, only Raki eyed them along with his teammate.

"Hello Aburame-san. It seems the Hokage wanted to see you next", Rei said sweetly, deciding it was not worth it to make a scene here, "He could barely wait. Now excuse me, I have to go do Genin business", she added with a barb, then turning to the woman at the wall, "Hi, Keiko-san. How are you?", she asked the grown-up Takamichi, suddenly friendly.

"Fine, but there seems to be a mission coming up. Guess my cute little brother will have to live without me for a while", the accomplished kunoichi stated in mock sadness.

Ken blushed. "T… take care, Ane-ue", the boy stammered.

"See? So cute!", she squealed, walking up to her young cousin and pulling him into a hug, despite his desperate struggle.

"Yeah, take care, Keiko-san", Yuuki said to his friend's relative, a bit unsettled at the boy's predicament, whereas dog tried to climb the woman's leg, wholly unconcerned.

"Take care", Rei and Yugao added at nearly the same time, then grinning at each other.

The poor teen released, Keiko took a step back. "Sure will. I guess I'll have to see what the "old man" wants from me now", she excused herself.

"And we'll have to take care of our own mission. See you around", the purple-haired woman who was nearly ten years older than said "old man" told the lively mid-twenty Takamichi, and walked down the hallway, her team safe for the tentative new addition waving goodbye.

Only a fuming chunin in nonstandard clothes and her team stayed back, one trying to calm her down, the other staring into the void uncaringly.

"It appears we should enter the Hokage's office now", said their teacher unperturbed.

* * *

After joking around for a little longer, they calmed down rapidly as they approached the training grounds, their red-haired guest an unwelcome presence. Being mostly alone with her, they did not feel like talking much.

When they arrived at the stone pillars, the landmark of the third training ground, they turned to Yugao, who had mulled about how to start off their training on the mostly-silent walk here.

"Let's start off lightly with a few warm-up exercises. Make teams to help each other stretch, Ken and Kuroyuuki, as well as Rei and Takeri", she ordered.

Yuuki frowned at the mention of his given name, but he seemed relieved that he wasn't the one who had to team up with the bandit. He cast a worried glance to Rei, but she shook her head, a little apprehensive.

"Let's start off with the legs", the tan boy told his comparatively pale teammate, who nodded and started stretching his calves, while Kinmaru started his own stretching, only to plop down on his belly seconds after.

Meanwhile, Rei was not quite sure what to do with the other girl. Normally, their team altered between two of them helping each other and one warming up alone, but she didn't even know what exercises the new addition had learned. "How do you warm up for practice usually?", she simply asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Warm up?", the second scion of an extinct clan asked back, slightly inclining her head.

"Yeah, like those two. So you don't hurt yourself while training", the black-haired Kunoichi explained.

Her counterpart slightly turned her head a few times. "I do not do that", was her answer.

"Really? But… don't you strain your muscles too much, then? Doesn't it hurt?" Rei was confused.

"Yes", the girl simply replied.

"Why don't you stretch beforehand, then?", the first girl despaired.

"I heal instead. It is better", the redhead claimed in plain words.

The Sharingan-user put her palm to the face. She really wasn't getting through to that girl, now was she? "Didn't Naruto-niisan teach you some exercises?", she asked, her voice a little strained.

The Ankoku remnant looked down in thought, then perked up. "He did. Should I do them now?", the girl asked a tiny bit more lively.

"Yes", Rei nodded with some relief.

Her potential teammate launched in an elaborate combination of grasping at things out of her reach and overstretching her stance, but hesitated in some places and corrected herself in others.

After a full presentation, which took a few minutes, the Uchiha heir still couldn't quite see what her "older brother" had wanted to achieve there. "What did you just do? It looked like a form, but I don't know that taijutsu technique", she inquired.

"He told me to do this to prepare for training or combat", the girl answered extensively, for her standards at least.

"But what…", she started, then interrupted herself. She could see easily that what the girl had done wasn't an effective combat technique, but it seemed to involve some stretching. Maybe that was why she was told to do it, but why Naruto hadn't taught his temporary student normal exercises was beyond her.

"Either way, we'll do something different. Just try to imitate me, I'll correct you if you do it wrong", Rei said, then started doing some normal single stretching, beginning with the upper body.

Though somewhat stiff and hesitant, the redhead followed her quite well, until she suddenly stopped and stated: "This does not prepare me for combat."

"Why? If your muscles and sinews are relaxed, you will have a much easier time fighting", the raven-hair retorted.

"These are not movements I could be forced to make in combat", came the stubborn defense.

Rei sighed. Now she knew what that weird form was good for. "No, but that's the point of it. These exercises are for specific muscle groups you don't normally use that much", she argued back.

"Then they are useless." This was all the androgynous girl said, and she did not even sound angry. If anything, it was indifference.

"No, they aren't. You… come on, just do them for today, you will see that they were useful after the training", the established genin pleaded.

"If this is your order", the alto voice said hollowly.

"I'm not…" Again, a sigh. "Yeah, let it be an order if it makes you happy." Afterwards, they continued their warm-up without further incident, though they needed a while longer than the boys, who observed them from the pillars with conflicted expressions.

Sure, it was nice watching a girl like Rei exercise, but they had also to make sure to eye the redhead newcomer reservedly and/or with enmity. That she also moved quite nicely despite looking disturbingly boyish didn't really help there.

In closing, the young Uchiha couldn't quite say what frustrated her so much, but she felt as if Takeri was playing with her, being so wooden and dense.

Yugao, meanwhile, was glad to see they had managed to work together at least at some level. Now what to do next…

"Sensei?", Yuuki called on her from his perch.

"Yes?" The purple-headed Jonin answered simply.

"Could we start off with the sparring today? I'd like a rematch with… you know", he suggested with a dangerous smile.

Face darkening, she shook her head. "No. You still need to get a feel for each other's movements, so nobody gets hurt", she said, sharply stressing the last phrase.

Yuuki stowed his vengeful attitude and piped down.

His teacher still didn't have a good idea what to practice next, however. Sparring really did give you the best impression you could get of somebody, except for maybe open combat, but just training ninjutsu alongside the young Takeri or doing basic exercises wouldn't do much in a single day.

But she did get an idea after all. "If you want to move around, though, I can offer you a game. Do you remember the bell test?", she asked. The three who had actually done it nodded, while the newcomer, predictably, didn't react.

"Since Takeri doesn't know the test, I think we should try a variation. Here I have one bell", the kunoichi said, producing a small silver bell on a string, "Which I will give our new addition. Whoever takes the bell from her will be the next target. This will go on until everybody had the bell at least once", she declared.

Yuuki threw a fiendish grin at the hapless redhead.

"However!", Yugao continued when she noticed, "Attacking the bell carrier in any way is not allowed. In fact, you are only allowed to touch the bell this time, I will watch and take you out of the game for a while if you do anything. There's other punishment if you go too far. Understood!?", she asked in her best teacher-voice.

"Understood", her original team said in unison, with Takeri still not reacting much, safe for looking slightly thoughtful.

The purple-haired swordswoman walked up to her and presented the bell, fastening it the skirt's inconspicuous belt. "You will have to dodge or turn away so they can't snatch the bell from you, and you're not allowed to hit or push them, or to attack them otherwise. Jumping, running and using Jutsu to escape or to keep them from reaching you are all allowed, as long as they only affect the ground or the trees. Do you think you can follow those rules?", she asked softly, as much as she managed at least.

The girl nodded sharply, while the team strained to hear what she was being told. Well, Yuuki did, and maybe Ken who hid it better. Rei was more about trying to read her mother's lips instead.

"Okay then, begin", she sent them off.

* * *

They entered the woods covering much of the training ground, following the red-haired girl in the dark green clothes, the sound of the bell spurring them on.

"Damn, she's quick on the feet", Yuuki cursed. He had tried to snatch the bell from the get-go, but the mutt had jumped away in the last second, then she ran for the woods.

Ken trailed close behind him, in moving straight ahead, he wasn't really the taller boy's match, and his stamina was lower than Rin's, who could also forge ahead with less consideration thanks to her eyes and the reflexes they granted.

The Takamichi knew all that as well. "I'll use body flicker to cut her off. You two get her", he yelled, then vanished.

Suddenly, he appeared in front of his mark, diving for the bell, but she dropped down further and rolled through under him, coming on her feet running. Suddenly, Rei exploded from the bushes, having had a similar idea to her friend, one hand already dead set on the bell, her eyes tracking every movement.

Yet, it all was for naught when the girl rotated so it was out of her reach and, facing her, jumped away the moment they would have collided, getting out of Ken's grasp at the same time.

Thanks to his speed, Yuuki had already caught up, and intercepted the much lighter girl with a tackle, but instead of toppling her and snatching the bell, he was blown to the side and tumbled into a tree. "Kuroyuuki, out for a minute!", he heard Yugao then, who had hit him. For the others, the hunt went on.

Takeri gained a lead again, alternating the run with bounds between trees and pushing herself off of them sideways so her pursuers couldn't follow as easily, but Rei saw her movements as soon as she began them, and Ken managed to follow her lead, a few meters behind.

That is, until he dropped from a tree the bell-bearer wanted to use as a springboard and nearly grabbed the price, but she fled in the unexpected direction, straight towards her other two pursuers, one of which likely was a clone, but still.

Rei was determined to use this chance, but froze when she saw the girl's hands rush through a short sequence of seals. Was she turning on them? Would she break Naruto's trust? And what jutsu was that, in the first place?

"Fire: Veil of Autumn!", the improperly-trained kunoichi yelled, clapping her hands and igniting a spark that wreathed her palms in flames, but instead of closing the last bit of distance and trying to hit the opposing Uchiha, she leaped sideways, pushing off from the bark of a tree to change her direction again and escape the encirclement.

Smiling the girl had not attacked, she tensed to body flicker after her, her range about where her burning handprint still flared on the tree, but her Sharingan warned her, and she yelled to Ken, the real one, who had gone ahead, to circle around the tree.

His shadow clone backpedaled and impaled itself on a thorny brush when it stumbled, narrowly avoiding the cluster of burning leaves that fell from the "touched" tree, scorching the grass with thick black smoke and scaring away the birds.

Rei signed a water technique for good measure and directed the misty torrent at the embers and the blackened wooden skeleton to prevent a larger fire later. Her mother, jumping by at an unbelievable speed, gave her a proud smile, but she found her own smile a little dimmed when she noticed she left Ken all alone up against the Ankoku.

Still, the genjutsu-user tested his mettle against the one who seemed impervious to his art, which was by the way allowed since it didn't hurt the target by itself. Trailing behind and off to the side of the faster runner, he signed for one of his higher-ranked techniques, hiding his signing the best he could.

"Illusion Arts: Trailing Image", he breathed, then pushing off at his fastest speed, with no regards to endurance now, even producing another shadow clone while he approached, when the girl frowned and simply said "Release", stopping and taking in her surroundings, only to touch another tree and slip away under the cover of her jutsu.

But it was unnecessary, both Ken and his clone had stopped in bafflement. How had she noticed? That technique barely affected the senses at all.

On her flight through the forest, the redheaded girl suddenly noticed a small yellow dog, but instead of jumping at her, as she had braced herself for, he barked fearfully and retreated, which was just as well. Then suddenly, the tan ninja jumped at her, with a power she only narrowly evaded, throwing herself to the side, rolling out and landing on her feet, in a crouched stance, ready to escape once more.

But the bell rang, no longer from her belt, instead dangling from the fingers of her pursuer. "Tag, you're it", he said with great satisfaction, and left her standing in the woods. Rei flickered in, diving for Takeri, but she noticed immediately her attempt was in vain.

"Who got it, Yuuki?", she asked, panting from the effort of putting out two fires and catching up again.

But her opposite was still mostly confused. "The… tall one", she answered uncertainly.

"That's him. We need to grab the bell from him now, come!", the hastened Uchiha yelled, jumping off.

After a moment's deliberation, the Ankoku followed her, still not very clear on the subject of what would happen now.

* * *

In the end, however, Rei "lost" the game by being the last to obtain a bell, while Takeri "won" since she had held it twice, snatching the delicate silver away from Ken only seconds after he had conned it out of Yuuki with an illusion, which the tan Inuzuka seemed to be unhappy about, or at least he wrestled his teammate moments after the bell had left his hands, making the final stretch an epic duel between the two girls on the team that ended when Takeri catapulted herself into a bush, trying to avoid making body contact with her opponent when she left her no room to maneuver.

Now, the newcomer was busy pulling clingy leaves and small branches from her hair, while the rest of the team was still exhilarated, and both of the boys rubbed bruises they had dealt each other. Kinmaru alternated between licking the injuries of either his master or his master's friend making an overly concerned face, his nonhuman features permitting.

Rei was not occupied with anything, at least after catching her breath for a moment, so she was the first to speak up. "You did well for not knowing the bell test, Takeri", she addressed the other girl cheerfully.

The redhead continued to pry underbrush out of her most prominent feature, without looking up to meet the speaker's eyes.

"I don't know if Naruto-niisan told you, but we sometimes do a test after graduating from the ninja academy, so our teachers can check how well we work together and so on. Me, Ken and Yuuki did the bell test, meaning we had to snatch bells from Yugao. It's similar to the game just now. Did you also do something like this before?", the leaf genin asked in depth.

This time, the girl met her eyes. "Yes", she answered unsatisfyingly.

"Could you explain how it worked for you?", the questioning was patiently continued.

She looked away again. "Is this… an order?", she asked back in a somewhat strained monotone.

"No, I just want to know you better", the daughter of Konoha smiled.

"Give it a rest, Rei, it's no use talking to her", Yuuki butted into their conversation.

Takeri didn't react, instead going back to pulling leaves from her hair.

The Uchiha heir, however, did react. "Naruto-niisan asked us to try being a team with her, of course we need to talk to her then, don't we?", the black-haired girl snapped.

Rebuked, the boy dialed his enmity down a little. "Rei, I know Uzumaki-san is a great guy and all, but I honestly can't see myself fighting side by side with… somebody who went up against us like this. No matter what the Hokage said about his friend from way back being a nutcase, too. I'm just not cut from the same wood as he is", the Inuzuka said calmly.

His crush smiled understandingly. "I don't think he always had an easy time forgiving people, but his friend from back then was a Jinchuuriki as well, so he could relate. None of us had to live alone in the forest, but he probably thought we could learn to understand her a little if we spent time and talked with her", Rei tried to appease her teammate.

"Maybe he did, but… it's still hard to just play around with her. I know she could've killed me at least three or four times on the hunt for the bell, and a few weeks ago, she probably would've", the tan boy countered in an unsure voice.

"But she didn't do it. I think she's serious about trying to work with us", the kindhearted girl stated.

"Takeri, what do you think about us? Are we enemies who captured you in your eyes?", she then said, turning to the new teammate.

The redheaded girl was finally done picking things from her hair, but she was still slow to react. "I don't… know", she answered haltingly.

Rei, who was used to a different flow of conversation after all, had to shake of her confusion for a moment. "You mean, you don't trust us yet?", she ventured.

"I swore to fight for this village. And your leader is… the former vessel of the Kitsune. You are no enemies, but… I don't know what to think", Takeri explained more readily.

"I don't know how to fight in a… "team", or what use this kind of training is", she added, "This is different from what I know."

The two teammates weren't quite sure how to work this in with their discussion, but the moment allowed the left-out Takamichi to pounce at a chance to gather more information.

"How does the Nine-Tails enter into this?", he asked away.

The redhead gave him a hard look. "She was my clan's ancestor", the girl stated with strange pride.

"What?", Yuuki burst out, "But the Nine-tails was a giant demon fox, how… wait…" The tan boy's brown eyes narrowed. "You're not a demon, are you?", he inquired suspiciously.

"I doubt Naruto-niisan would leave a demon with us Genin", Rei chided him, but not very forcefully. She knew of the large, two-tailed cat who had lived in her mansion when she was little, after all.

Ken was merely baffled. "Is this just a legend, or…?"

Takeri, apparently in a communicative mood, shook her head. "She gave birth to the three founders, we are her human descendants."

The inquisitive gray-hair frowned at the short statement. "But how was that possible? Demons can't have offspring."

His source of information remained quiet about this.

Yuuki pressed his lips together, and relented as well.

"Is this why you listen to Naruto-niisan? Because he was a Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tailed Fox?", wondered Rei, who seemed to get a hang of talking with the close-lipped girl.

Said girl was herself a little receptive of this, or so it seemed. "Yes. The Kitsune marked him…", she said, trailing off.

"And that is the reason you consider everything an order? Because he told you to come with us?", the Uchiha conjectured.

The redhead looked confused for a moment, then nodded. "He did not take my life", she stated sadly.

Now it was the black-haired girl's turn to look confused. "Why would he? You were already captured."

Yuuki made a sound, but he did not meet Rei's eyes when she looked at him.

"I attacked his people. He should have", the fox's descendant said darkly.

The girl who grew up in the village took her less fortunate teammate's hands. "This isn't how we do things in Konoha", she said warmly.

Takeri flinched when she was suddenly touched, but didn't resist, though she looked away, until her hands were let go.

Moments afterwards, Yugao returned, carrying two bags. "Lunch is here!", she called out, producing a quadratic cardboard box often used for take-out.

Then, there was eating.

* * *

When they were finishing off their noodles, another adult appeared.

"Huh. And here I thought only Rei wanted me to train her", Kakashi noted, scratching his head, "so, even you want some training, Yugao?"

The mature woman smiled at her husband. "Not quite. Naruto wanted us to try and train with Takeri here for the day; we were just taking a break."

"Already? That boy is as impatient as ever", the current Hokage's former teacher muttered irreverently.

"Or not as tardy as some people", his wife countered with a teasing smile.

Kakashi drooped. "It was the kids, they just wouldn't let me go…", he whined.

"Them or those empty-headed bimbos in the book I saw you read on the way here?", came the finishing strike.

The elder gray-haired ninja in attendance gulped audibly.

Ken, who had like his team listened to the banter, cleared his throat, Yuuki grinned broadly, Rei blushed, Kinmaru licked out a box. Takeri… didn't react, like most of the time.

"Actually, I took a completely different road. Busted", Yugao smiled triumphantly. "But we'll get back on that later. Now, I'd like your assistance for something."

"Yeah, sure", Kakashi answered, suddenly eager to please.

His wife stood up, eyeing her expanded team. She was quite pleased with the previous "training" and what she had seen of their attitude towards the new girl during the meal, but continuing on a down note probably wouldn't do, although she would've liked to.

Usually, her team got extensive training, so they could slowly hone their skills and had ample time for their personal growth, both as teammates and as individuals. Today, however, she needed to balance out the memory of fighting Takeri with some equally strong impression, so that they even considered working with her.

That wasn't going to happen with only a field game and some regular practice.

She looked at her husband again. "Fight them. I'll play judge", she declared, matter-of-factly, then giving a wink to her team. "Don't hurt my hubby too much, but by all means, don't hold back", she advised them.

Then, Kakashi knew: This was his punishment.

* * *

They had taken up positions, four against one. Yuuki had lost a lot of color after the match had been declared, but his dog tried his best to cheer him up. Ken was calmer, but still less self-assured than he usually looked. Rei knew her father wouldn't hurt them much, but this was still the first open sparring she had with him. It was a strange feeling.

Takeri, however, had lost her usual expression and seemed conflicted.

"Rei", she voiced, in the alto that seemed to dark for her age.

Somewhat surprised to be addressed by name, the black-haired girl turned around. "Yes? Do you have a question?", her brighter voice answered.

"Can that man… resist fire?", Takeri asked.

Casting a glance at Yugao, who still hadn't started the match, Rei frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I can't hold back my chakra in combat", her counterpart stated, clearly anxious, "It would burn him."

The calmer of the two smiled. "I think you're underestimating him if you think he couldn't deal with that", she said proudly.

Confused, the other girl nodded.

A tan, tall Inuzuka cast a wary glance at her.

Yugao then raised her voice. "Are you done chattering already?", she yelled across the field.

"Yes!", Rei cheerfully yelled back.

Her mother smiled. "Well, then begin", she said, making a slashing gesture with her hand.

There was not quite an explosion of motion on either side.

Kakashi didn't usually attack first, even without his Sharingan out, which he still kept covered.

Neither did Rei, whose Sharingan was visible. Ken tried to measure their opponent as much as normal, good eyes could, while Yuuki just stood there in his stance and lamented his fate. His dog growled, trying to get his human into a fighting mood.

Takeri waited a few moments, then she suddenly started signing and jumped off towards the gray-haired man. "Fire: Enforced Burn", she voiced, thrusting her hand at the ground a few meters in front of him and setting the green grass alight.

Dodging easily, the Hatake family head countered. "Suiton: Extinguishing Deluge Jutsu", he declared, blasting a column of water at the expanding flames and toppling over the offender.

This only served to spur on the remainder of the team, which finally attacked. "Raiton: Thunder Pressure Jutsu", Yuuki released one of his stronger techniques, before he was overtaken by Ken, who threw a spread of his needles at their former academy teacher, who had dodged the thrumming burst of ionized air, and produced a Kunai to deflect the containment attack.

Still, it left him unable to dodge his own daughter, when she dared enter melee against him. Aided by her Sharingan, she managed to trade a few blows with him, but before he could overwhelm her or break away, she signed a short technique when she kept him off with a kick.

"Suiton: Towering Wave", she summoned a huge wall of water from the near river, catching her father, but also herself and the rest of her team. Yugao was the only one who managed to dodge, but the wave only had the force of its own weight, which merely bowled them over.

"Takeri! You can attack him now!", the seemingly overeager water user yelled, dashing away from the counterattack, which was in turn interrupted by "Raiton: Spark Darts" courtesy of Yuuki.

The redhead signed another technique, this time without naming it, which heated the air around her to gradually evaporate the water, then she jumped off. Ken seemed busy signing a longer series of seals, while Rei threw Kunai and Shuriken her father from behind, who had blown the three darts away with a simply wind technique, but had to deal with being double-teamed by a boy and his dog.

He needed only three attacks to get out of that bind so he could deflect the barrage, leaving himself open again.

With a wordless scream, the heat-wrapped newcomer drew her spread chakra back to her arms, striking at her opponent with scalding force, but he nimbly and a little hastily evaded and kicked at her legs, which gave, but not without gushing flames at the offender, the sudden evaporation of the water on his cloths keeping him from capitalizing on his counter.

Instead, the girl regained her footing and again drew the fire to her, this time collecting it in a ball. "Fire: Great Fireball!", she yelled, using the pre-existing ball to channel her chakra instead of forming it in her lungs, but the effect was no less, forcing Kakashi to both dodge and release a "Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet Technique", as he could not deflect the flames with only the water close to him.

The dragon-shaped torrent crashed through the fireball and bowled over Takeri, taking her out of the fight for a moment, only for Kakashi to be caught in Ken's technique, which happened to be a "Doton: Stone Talons Jutsu", sealing his movements for a crucial moment.

Yuuki used this moment to try and tag him with his palm wreathed in purple lightning, but Kakashi would have broken free before it reached him. Somehow, he failed, taking a painful shock and getting bit in the hindquarters by the golden dog, while the trainer followed through with a powerful kick.

Finally realizing his predicament, Kakashi forcefully released the illusion of weakness without a hand seal and strengthened himself to break free, only for Rei to jump at his legs. Then, Ken gripped his torso from behind, sealing his arms, and Kinmaru bit his thigh, only for Yuuki to tackle him to the ground before he could gather his wits.

"Takeri! Help us restrain him!", the girl yelled while wrestling her father.

Obliging, the socially stunted former captive got on top of the heap, pressing her forearm on the man's throat while pressing his shoulders down with her knees, and lifting her arm to strike at him, who was shaking his head rapidly. "I give up!" he squealed.

Ken, trapped underneath both the retired Jonin and the girl, who easily weighed a hundred kilograms together, merely grunted, but Rei and Yuuki cheered. Takeri didn't seem quite certain if she should proceed with her attempt to break Kakashi's nose, but in the end, she spared the medical division this work.

* * *

After thoroughly – and, to be honest, with his previous knowledge and permission – humiliating her husband, Yugao was in high spirits, and proceeded to match them up in teams of two for the next round of sparring, after everybody had been checked for injuries.

What followed was Rei and Takeri vs. Ken and Yuuki, which ended with the girl's team victorious, though mostly since Yuuki had concentrated on Takeri so much that he didn't notice when Ken finally lost to Rei's barrage, unable to hold his own with only Genjutsu, Earth Ninjutsu and dwindling reserves. The remainder of the match consisted of beating Yuuki up, whose dog refused to attack Takeri and couldn't hold off Rei on his own, since he couldn't use any serious techniques yet.

"Just revenge!", was Rei's comment to her victory after being overpowered in the same discipline – taijutsu – only a day before.

After a distribution of some ointment for the burns which inevitably came along with Takeri fighting anybody, and Rei cheering the girl up over her implied failure to hold back her reflexive chakra emissions, they launched in yet another round of sparring.

The matches continued until everybody had been in a team with everybody else, with particular mention going to Rei and Ken vs. Yuuki and Takeri, where the latter team won despite the tan boy's continuing dislike of his new teammate. She also acquitted herself well in the last match, even though she and Ken couldn't quite match the powerhouse of their team working together with his crush, which spurred him to new heights, while the Sharingan proved itself a more versatile Kekkei Genkai than whatever Takeri had.

Then, it was evening, and the children laid panting on the ground, while Yugao checked the minor injuries that always came along with this kind of training, and of course the burns.

"You really showed her with that Flood Palm", Yuuki praised Rei's action in the last match, hitting a struggling Takeri with a ball of densly compressed water that literally blew her away.

"But I also hit you", she complained, not quite happy about the prodigious scope of her attack.

"Eh, it wasn't a problem", he claimed.

Rei would have brought up how this could well have meant leaving him open for an attack in a real battle, with less clear conditions, but she was tired.

The sky was already tinted in vague yellow, and the clouds were sharply visible in the sinking sun. It was a good day.

Remembering something, Rei sat up. "Thank you for training with us today, Takeri", she told the newcomer who still didn't quite grasp what a team was.

Wide-eyed with surprise, the red-headed girl stared back at her. "But… I injured…", she objected.

"Nothing they can't fix at the hospital in a minute", Rei smiled, then let herself drop to the soft, fresh-smelling grass again, a hint of fire still in her nose from all the exotic fire techniques Takeri had used.

Really, a good day.

* * *

**Preview**

Yuuki [sleepy]: Do we really have to do this right after training?

Rei [relaxed]: Come on, it's just a few lines.

Yuuki [unwilling]: Can't you make Takeri do it? You seem to be on pretty good terms.

Rei [wary]: What are you implying?

Yuuki [whiny]: You're making me feel left out!

Ken [baby talk]: There, there.

Yuuki [annoyed]: Come on, I'm serious here.

Rei [again relaxed]: Nah, you're just being a baby. Now do the preview already, or can you really imagine Takeri doing it now?

Yuuki [imagining]: …

[Konoha village with a noticeably reduced bustle, Naruto scratching his head and getting out of his chair]

Takeri [serious]: …

[Team Yugao reading through a folder, Rei asking Naruto a worried question]

Takeri [firm]: …

[Keiko and Team Shino charging through the woods, Team Yugao joining up with them in mid-jump]

Takeri [confident]: … *pumps her fist*

Yuuki [panicked]: The Preview! It's over already!

Takeri [announcer voice]: **…**

Yuuki [saving throw]: Err… [announcer voice] Coming up next: **Chapter 5 – An Unknown Weapon**

Rei [thinking]: Actually, she wasn't much worse than you in the beginning. What do you think, Ken, should have her do preview duty next?

Ken [deliberating]: That might be an idea…

Yuuki [horrified]: No! Not my last holdout in this cruel world!

Takeri [flattered]: …


	6. A New Weapon

**Author' Note (6/3/13):** I didn't manage to write the next chapter over the weekend, so I'll post it next week.

**Chapter 6: A New Weapon**

„Here, those are for the Medical Division, and… this stack is for the archives. Just hand it over to Ooishi on the way out. No, wait, I'll carry it", the tall yellow-haired man held on to the papers he had just extended, but the women who had already grasped the other end shook her head.

Then she smiled. "I'll carry it, you continue your work. I can't claim I helped you if you still interrupt your work to come along with me", Hinata teased.

"But… it's a large stack. Are you sure?", her husband worried.

"If it helps you come home even a minute earlier tonight, I can do this much", she replied in a gentle tone.

"Well, if you say that…" Naruto plopped down on his chair again, and took a new stack of forms from the inbox. "Right, if you run into Ooishi, tell him I need the folder on the suppliers and shipping expenses from the archives, there is something I have to look up", he added when she was already halfway through the door

Her hip-length ponytail swung around elegantly when she turned towards him again. "I'll be sure to find him", she said with a wink, effortlessly releasing the Byakugan and taking a survey of the building, which specifically wasn't protected against the all-seeing white eyes, except for a select few rooms.

The hallway in front of the Hokage's office wasn't among them, and the ward around the office itself obscured only part of the building from her vantage point, so she found the young man easily. Only seconds before she could have found him with regular eyes, to be fair, since he was already on this level and came towards the office.

Smirking about how thoughtlessly she still resorted to her Kekkei Genkai even for something so menial, she walked up to the young man who, as Naruto claimed, resembled Kabuto, but even though she had killed that man herself, she just couldn't see it. "Tokomori-kun, here's some papers for the archives. Naruto said to bring him the folder on suppliers and shipping expenses, he must have meant the main index", she told the young man, handing him the larger of the two stacks she carried.

He took it without complaint, but shook his head. "I'll do that later, an urgent message has arrived, from the…" His hesitation was visible; it likely was a confidential matter. Naruto's assistant took these things very seriously.

Hinata smiled, indicating she wouldn't force him to tell. "I'll take it to the archives after all, then, and have somebody else bring the folder", she offered, reaching for the stack again.

The Chuunin blushed a little. "You needn't concern yourself, I just have to hand it over to him. I'll go to the archives afterwards", he insisted.

"Good, I'll be on my way then. Have a nice day, Tokomori-kun", she waved goodbye and vanished down the hallway, graceful even when hurried. The young man shook his head to lose the stray thoughts, and entered the bureau.

"Hey, Naruto, the team you sent out on that special mission sent word. The message is still sealed", he said, walking in straight away and placing the scroll with the large "Seal"-tag around it on the desk. "Hinata-san told me you needed the supply index, but should I stick around in case you need something else, too? Like the Grand Scroll of Fiendish Spirits?", he guessed.

The Hokage, who had taken Ooishi as an assistant precisely because he talked to him without reverence, grinned. "So you're still gonna wager a demon did it? Well, let's see." Signing to release the tag, he opened the scroll and read through Keiko's report, first smiling, then frowning.

At last, he shook his head. "You'll have to pay the bill next, but this isn't much better news than a demon. Bring me the new addendum to the Codex of Hidden Tools and the reports on recent larger-scale attacks at the northern border, no more than half a year back."

"That'll still be a whole lot of paper to carry", the assistant cautioned.

"Then you'll have to walk twice", Naruto grinned, "I still have to get the work done on time."

Shrugging, the Kabuto-lookalike left the room again, and Naruto glanced at the message. Keiko requested for another team as support, but who should he send? After the Rememberance Day, a lot of missions had piled up, so he was – again – short on people. Maybe some of the guards? Or a long-term clone of himself? Or even ANBU?

Then again, the plan she wrote about only called for a diversion, so anybody who could spot or dodge well enough would suffice. He hesitated a little to come to the obvious conclusion, the one team which was nearly at Chuunin level, currently training in the village and over strength.

He sighed, and got out of his chair to get his phone. Behind him, only civilians walked the streets, the few remaining ninja not at the walls blending in with off-duty clothing.

* * *

One pair of such ninja stood across the small cinema of Konohagakure, the boy presently ending a call with his cell phone. "Ken won't be able to come; he said his father wanted him for a clan thing, some kind of visit."

The girl pondered, idly trying to stick a strand of hair back into her loosely bound tail. "Ah, I think I know what this is about, Hibiki was recently allowed to go back to doing light training, so a lot of people are visiting her at the moment. I went the day before yesterday", she explained.

Yuuki looked surprised. "But we were training ourselves all day, when did you go?"

Rei gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Late in the evening, I only talked with her briefly before she went to bed."

"Hm. Anyway, the movie will be starting soon, so we should buy tickets", her friend suggested somewhat hurried-sounding.

"What's the rush? I don't think they'll keep us out of the theater if we're a bit too late", the girl chided playfully.

"Er… don't you want snacks, too? And drinks", he pleaded.

"Come on, if you're this stiff, you won't have any fun. The first few minutes are only commercials, anyway. Let's wait outside." She smiled.

The unusually tan Inuzuka relented, sighing. "As you wish."

Leisurely, they sat down under a tree on top of the small hill where the cinema had been built, overlooking a field of grass that was often used for festivities or public screenings. "Too bad they don't show the movies outside after August, it's still such a sunny day", Rei initiated a conversation.

"Maybe we should have gone last month?" Yuuki still seemed a little tense, he was always looking over to her.

"Hm… no. We had too much to do then. This is fine."

The boy relaxed, but only slightly. "Are you sure you're okay with me alone?", he probed.

His crush glanced at him confused. "Why wouldn't I be? We're friends", she reassured him.

It didn't help much, as he slumped over. "Right." Then, he didn't speak for a while.

Slightly concerned, and with an inkling of what had agitated him like this, she finally suggested to go buy tickets and "popcorn", some delicacy from the western countries. When they sat down, Kuroyuuki's mood had already cleared up again.

"Those movies are awesome. Too bad they don't show the "Princess Gale" series anymore, the lead of this movie also had a big role there", he lamented. It was still a while before the movie started; the silver screen was alight with an advertisement for bus tours in the Land of Tea.

"They do show them on television sometimes. Naruto-niisan has the whole series on video, too. You could ask him to lend them to you", Rei suggested.

"Uh… We don't have a TV at home, not to mention a video player", the boy confessed.

"Neither do we, there isn't that much of a program on it anyways. I always go to Naruto-niisan's place to watch videos and stuff, maybe you should just go with me next time", she offered.

Kuroyuuki startled, and stared at her confused. "I know you're close, but just walking into the Hokage's residence like that? Is that allowed?"

She chuckled at his confusion. "He's just another person when he's at home, and he lives in an apartment block near the development zone with Hinata and his daughter. There's nothing so awesome about it. Well, his daughter is awesomely cute…", she squealed.

He shook his head, but more in bewilderment than objection. "I can't imagine that. They don't even let me enter the clan residence without giving me a look. Besides, asking the Hokage to let me watch videos at his home? That sounds insane."

"Color me insane, then", she smirked, "But he'd let you. He's really friendly, and not just to people he knows well. I mean, you're also training with Sakura-san, who is the head of the medical division. They were on the same team forever, and you don't hesitate to approach her, do you?" The girl had leaned in a little, reinforcing her argument.

But doing that had brought her quite close to Yuuki, who squirmed a little. Not that he disliked it, but… "That's… different, I guess. I just blurted out that I'd want to try and become a medical-nin back in hospital, and then she roped me into training. We're only doing simple stuff yet, and I learned a bit more about treating injuries the normal way. She yells at me a lot", he relayed, embarrassed.

"I guess she's like that. But she's also seriously trying to teach you something, isn't she?" Rei straightened, making a strangely content face.

"Well, probably. I'm just not learning fast enough", he replied downtrodden.

"That's not true, even she needed several years of training to become a medical ninja, and she's an exception. Normally it takes five years or more", she tried to comfort him.

"Really? Whoa, that's long. Guess I didn't know what I was in for. Five years…" His amazement was palpable, even with the last advertisement ending, something for a rice cooker, and the lights fading to dark. It was only a minute before the movie would start now.

The girl smiled in the near-darkness. "You know, I'm really impressed you answered right away like that, even without knowing much about it", she said under her breath, nearly inaudible, then continued louder, "I'm sure you can do it. Don't let it get you down when it takes a while."

She broke into an outright grin, just when the music for the intro started. "It also took me a while to get the hang of my Sharingan, and both my birth and my adoptive fathers supposedly were child geniuses."

Then the movie started, with a beautiful landscape shot that must have been taken somewhere in the Land of Greens.

* * *

"I really liked the scene in the teahouse, where they mistook Nami for the priestess", Rei reminisced on their way out.

Yuuki sheepishly took the last handful of popcorn and threw away the bag, nibbling at the dry snack. "Uh… what was that? The one where they nearly bowled over one another trying to kiss her feet?", he asked between bites.

His girl companion laughed. "Yes, and when she couldn't talk them down, she fled into the rafters. Ritt had to give them a beating before they snapped out of it. The whole teahouse."

The boy made the sour face. "Dunno, the scene kinda seemed out of place. It broke up the suspense, they were just then chasing after the priestess, fighting off those leech-people who wanted the chakra wellspring to take over the world, and then they're doing a slapstick routine. I liked the end fight better", he asserted.

Now it was the young girl's turn to look sour. "Really? That huge, slimy wiggling thing that just bashed at them?"

"What? They really looked like they were in mortal danger, and I think it showed really well how they needed to beat some impersonal, huge force to protect humanity. I imagine fighting one of the tailed beasts is like that", he dreamed.

"Hm, I didn't think about it that way. But from what Naruto-niisan, Hinata-san, Sakura-san and the others told me, it's completely different. The beasts are large and strong, but they're also fast, smart and nimble, well, most of them at least, and they can use special attacks or traits. That large blob just didn't look so scary, it wouldn't have gotten out of there either way if they'd just left", she complained.

"Not sure if I can imagine that. Aren't the tailed beasts all dead or sealed now, anyway? How many could they have fought?" Yuuki seemed incredulous.

"All of the ones that are sealed now", Rei laughed. "Or nearly all of them, and some of them even fought several. Naruto-niisan even defeated the One-Tail Tanuki and the Four-Wings Eagle with only summons and his own power."

The boy didn't buy it. "You sure they didn't blow that out of proportion? I know the Fourth Hokage and half of village died when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked. How are the other tailed beasts such pushovers?"

"Well…", the girl was a bit pressed for answers, she knew the stories were at least a little embellished, but she didn't know how much. "I think they were weakened or handicapped in most cases, and the Nine-Tails really was way stronger than most of the others. Well, on the other hand, there's Ni-ne. You could just ask her", she deferred to a higher authority.

"Ninne? Wasn't that the huge cat that lived at your home back when we were at the academy? But she's a cat, she can't talk", the boy called her out.

Rei rubbed her hands nervously. She actually wasn't supposed to tell that to anybody, but she had doubts Yuuki would spread the rumor. Assuming he believed her. "It's not Ninne, it's Ni-ne, short for Niibi no Neko. She's the two-tailed beast in sealed form, Hinata-san sealed her that way and left her at our house until the matter had calmed down enough to transfer her somewhere closer to where she lives."

The tall Inuzuka, himself no stranger to overly large animals, even if his dog still had a reasonable stature, stopped and eyed his friend. "Now you're just making stuff up", he accused her outright.

She deflated, pouting. "But it's true…", she whined.

That was when a messenger found them. "Are you Rei Uchiha-san and Kuroyuuki Inzuka-san? The Hokage is asking you to come to Ninja Ops, he'll be in one of the reading rooms on the third floor", the younger Genin reported, looking around confusedly. "Where are Ken Takamichi-san and Takeri Ankoku-san? Aren't they with you?"

"Uh… dunno", Yuuki answered lamely.

"Ken is probably at the Hyuuga estate, and I think Takeri is training again, at the third ground", Rei helpfully jumped in.

Yuuki didn't have the heart to correct her about Ken's whereabouts, so he remained silent.

"Thank you, senpai. I'll be on my way." The younger boy ran away.

"I wonder what this is about?", the Uchiha heir wondered.

"Maybe something with the training. Say, didn't Nami in the movie remind you of Takeri somehow?", her guilt-ridden teammate tried to steer her back to the previous topic.

Rei perked up. "Are you sure? But Takeri isn't gloomy like that, she's more… well, uncomfortable. Like she didn't want to be here. I hope we can make her feel more welcome."

The boy frowned. "Is this still about me having a grudge against her? I told you, I'm just cautious. I mean, she hurt you", he defended against the perceived jab.

"No, no", Rei tried to defuse the situation, "I just feel bad for her. She didn't really join us out of her own free will, I think."

Yuuki snorted. "I didn't ask for her to join us, either."

"Come on now, we're making progress with the training", the girl claimed.

"I know, but she isn't really a member of our team if you ask me…"

And like this, they squabbled on, through a short stop at Kiba's home to get his dog, until they arrived at Ninja Operations.

* * *

While his friends were watching the movie without him, Ken really wasn't busy with family matters, instead he sorted through his collection of postal stamps that his grandfather had left him. He liked the painstakingly preserved envelopes and the sense of far away countries the letters conveyed to him, preserved inside separate albums.

His grandfather had had hundreds of letters from his dozen or so pen pals, and had spent most of his retirement maintaining those relationships or initiating new ones. Some of the contents were awfully private or at the very least strange, but it still was interesting to read them.

Not that he would normally have skipped an appointment with his friends for that, but this time, Yuuki had asked to leave him alone with Rei. He hoped the two finally came clear, but he doubted it.

Even this favorite pastime of his could only occupy him so long, however, and he kept the collection as orderly as his grandfather had given it to him in the first place. There wasn't much else to do at home, since his father was out – not to the Hyuuga, but on an appointment at the hospital – and his brother and mother were on missions.

To be fair, he had asked his father to visit the Hyuuga with him to get an airtight alibi, but he hadn't known the appointment was today, and despite picking up the indoorsy collection hobby from his grandfather and even some of his pen pals – the ones who were themselves still alive, anyway – he actually wasn't much of a stay-at-home person when there was nothing specific to do.

Thus, judging he might have returned from the visit to the Hyuuga already if he had bowed out early, he went to the training grounds, where the newest addition to Team Yugao ought to be.

Only she wasn't there. Shrugging, he decided to use the grounds if he was already here, and worked on his Taijutsu after a short warmup, the area he needed the most practice in.

He knew various styles and his technique was good as well, but his speed and power were lacking – even when he executed his movements perfectly in sparring against Yuuki, the taller boy defeated him eight times out of five, and he didn't fare much better against Rei, even when she held back her Sharingan. Thus, he trained, so he could at least avoid falling back even further.

An hour later, the messenger Genin found him there, panting after he'd reached the limits of his endurance.

"Excuse me, are you Ken Takamichi-san?", the younger boy asked dutifully.

His elder nodded, dropping his stance and walking over. "Yes, I am. Why are you asking for me?", he asked in a polite voice, not quite able to muster friendliness.

"The Hokage has asked for you to meet him in a reading room at Ninja Ops. This is all I can tell you, senpai", the messenger reported the second time today, taking no offense.

"Very well. I'll be there after I changed my clothes", Ken stated absentmindedly and began to walk away.

"Excuse me, Takamichi-senpai, but where can I find Takeri Ankoku-san? Rei Uchiha-senpai told me she would be here and you at the Hyuuga estate, but neither seems to be true", the boy called after him. A little startled upon hearing his alibi, he walked back to his "kouhai".

"I left the Hyuuga estate before I came to train here, but I didn't meet Takeri then. Have you checked her room in the barracks?" It was a serious matter if the redhead couldn't be found; after all, she was still a prisoner in some ways.

"This was the first place where I went, since it's closest to Operations", the younger Genin said, picking up on the atmosphere.

"I'm not sure if she was given a tracking device, so go confirm that with Operations, please. I'll look for her", he sent the boy off, leaving himself.

To be honest, he wasn't sure where the girl could have gone, for all he knew she only left her room in the barracks, the section that housed visiting ninja or those looking for a permanent home, when she was training with them. Like this morning. Afterwards, they had all eaten lunch together and then split up to go home for a while, to do chores or change for the movie.

Maybe she hadn't gone home? Since she even hesitated to eat when they were at Ichiraku Ramen or even at Rei's house, she wouldn't go out to eat, or pass her time in a public place, but she might still be somewhere outside. The village grounds included large forests, and she had lived in a forest for all he knew, so it wasn't much of a stretch to assume she went back there for a walk or something.

Following his hunch, he scoured the woods on the training ground with genjutsu-enhanced senses, and changed locations to the woods closer to the barracks when he found nothing. He assumed she wasn't hiding herself specifically, so he did a fast search, scouring the nearby forests in perhaps less than half an hour.

After moving closer to the edge of the developed part of the village, he picked up a person who didn't to be a child playing around or somebody looking for mushrooms. As he stealthily inched closer, he saw Takeri, wiry as ever, but more relaxed than usual, sitting cross-legged on a tree trunk in a small clearing. More to test his skill than anything else, he snuck even closer, as much as he could manage.

He was nearly at the edge of the clearing, when Takeri suddenly jumped down from the trunk and looked around, spotting him easily. He stood up himself, and walked into the open. "The Hokage summoned us. His messenger didn't find you", Ken said flatly.

The girl simply nodded, and started walking in the direction of the village.

Somewhat uncomfortable about her apparent indifference, he followed her. When the silence became too heavy, he spoke again. "Why were you out in the woods, anyway?"

The girl didn't react at first, only looking at him. "Is it forbidden?", she then asked curtly.

"No. I'm simply curious", he answered to avoid saying "suspicious", in regards to before.

Again, it took her some time to answer, probably to consider what she should say. "The village has too many people to relax", she stated.

"So, you do it here", he ended her half-explaination, which resulted in her nodding.

He was relieved she hadn't been up to something, but his teammate was strange, in several ways. It didn't seem likely she would ever get used to living here. Thinking his own thoughts, he remained silent for the rest of their way, actually forgetting to change out of his training clothes.

Sometime later, long after Rei and Kuroyuuki had arrived, they finally reached Ninja Ops.

* * *

The two black-haired Genin were immersed in some scrolls and bound tomes strewn about the long table in the center of the room, while Naruto sat opposite of them, reading some other writings that looked like reports and marked them yellow ink. Shortly afterwards, the man with the glasses who had shown the last two in left them alone again.

"Hokage, we've arrived", Ken said simply. Takeri remained silent, but bowed deeply.

The blonde master ninja looked up. "Good, then sit down. I want your team to go support a mission that's already in progress, but you'll need to read something first. It's about a weapon our enemy is using."

The other two also greeted their teammates, Rei seemed tense, while Yuuki was angry. His dog slept under his chair, apparently not caring.

"We'll have to bail the jerk team out, seems like they messed up", the tan boy told his friend as soon as he sat down.

Ken frowned. "Team Shino? Didn't they go on a mission few days ago, when Takeri joined us? Is it about that?", he inquired, half to his friend, half to the Hokage, who was showing something to Takeri.

"You're right about that. The mission was a confidential order by the Daimyo, my old friend Nyoko, who wanted the village to investigate an attack on a garrison near the northern border. It seems the investigation succeeded, since Keiko and Shino with his team identified the weapons used in the attack and even managed to find the attackers, but that is where it stops being so simple", the tall, whisker-marked man explained, before he turned to Takeri again, handing her an introductory text on the traits of black powder.

"Where is Sensei, anyway?", Ken asked in a lower voice, after he had digested that fact.

"Preparing Equipment for the mission, she'll meet up with us later. The Hokage wanted to give us the briefing himself for some reason", Yuuki informed his friend.

While the other girl slowly read her text, Rei interrupted her own reading to repeat a question she had asked before. "Now that we're all here, can you explain us what you meant by it not being simple, Nii-san?"

Looking worried, the student of her father nodded. "The weapon the used is called a "gun", it uses black powder to shoot a metal pellet. It handles somewhat like a crossbow, but the loading process is different, and the projectile is much smaller and faster. The stuff I gave you to read also says this", he answered, then pausing.

"What it doesn't say is that, while the weapon was invented in the Land of Lightning a long time ago, and deemed unfit for use by ninja, the Lightning Country recently started producing them in large numbers. That's what the reports say I'm marking up for you." He presented the papers, in some places highlighted with yellow ink.

"We're not sure what they are planning to do with that, and Kumogakure said the few ninja involved were given orders not to tell the other villagers, but from what we've seen, they're arming regular soldiers with the guns", he told them, and waited for the inevitable comments.

"But they're just regular soldiers, even if Team Shino are jerks, they should be able to deal with that alone. Never mind there's two Jonin with them", Yuuki complained.

Ken nodded, assenting. "Even if the weapon is dangerous, my cousin should be able to put soldiers to sleep without difficulty. Ninja aren't limited to direct combat."

Rei seemed more worried than her teammates. "You said they had some kind of problem, even though the enemies are only soldiers. So what is it that makes sending another team necessary?"

Naruto smiled at her question, seeing as he probably would have behaved the same as the boys back in time before he started training with - and getting closer to - Hinata. "It's not only Soldiers, they do have some ninja with them, and one of them seems to have some counter-genjutsu, which allows them to join the fight after all. But since there's three ninja, all of them at Tokujo or Jonin level, Shino and Keiko can't hold them back on their own, and Shino's team can't keep the soldiers out of the fight without running a risk. Keiko and Kara Aburame were actually injured, and they had to retreat, while only about a dozen soldiers died", he detailed.

"Cousin was injured?", Ken exclaimed, while Yuuki rejoiced, "That bitch got downed!"

Rei became even more worried, while Takeri, unmoving as a stone, continued reading, silently forming the words with her lips.

"To reduce the risk, I'll send you to do the distraction they need, so they and Yugao can concentrate on subduing the ninja and some of the soldiers. I already talked with Kumogakure, but it doesn't seem the Raikage knows anything. He allowed us to take the ninja captive, since they might be from his village", Naruto explained, now calm, radiating confidence as he usually did. The teenagers couldn't quite help being swept along.

"Eh, I guess those "Chunin" aren't as strong as advertised if they need some Genin to bail them out", Yuuki warmed up to the idea.

"How are we supposed to distract them?", Ken asked, more practically-minded.

Rei however noticed something was amiss. "How did you talk to Kumogakure? The cell phones don't reach even nearly that far."

The Fire Shadow gave one of his trademark grins. "That's a secret. Ask me again if you're ready to take my place", he joked.

The girl got flustered. "Hokage? Me? But I'm not…"

"Relax, you'd have to go through Konohamaru, Sakura, Hinata, Neji, er… who was the next on the list? I think I forgot Tsunade. I'm confident you're Kage material, though. No worries", he calmed her down.

She really did relax. "Phew, I wanted to say I'm not interested. Being expected to lead the Uchiha clan once there is such a thing again is enough for me", the prospective progenitor stated.

Naruto's expression went mild, like usual when he dealt with people busy growing up. Usual since he supposedly got done growing up, at least. "Nobody will force you to do anything. It's you decision to found a clan again or end it with your name. You'll have a lot of time to decide that", he comforted her.

In return, she smiled broadly. "Yes. I forget that sometimes." Her voice was relieved.

Next to her, Yuuki watched the exchange, looking like he picked up on something.

"Well, on how you do the actual distraction, you'll have to decide that once you're there. This research is just to get some ideas on how to deal with those "guns", and how you can make those blackguards regret carrying explosives around with them", the head ninja steered them back on topic, and proceeded to give his student reading lessons.

The other three had however less difficulty with the reading, but with the fact they felt like back in the academy, cramming for a test. However, the knowledge that failing this test would result in injury or death set in soon enough.

* * *

A few days later, after they had read all they needed, prepared their equipment and set out to travel towards the Land of Forest, taking them along a similar route as their previous trip to the Land of Rice Paddies.

The trip was shorter, since they moved at their best speed this time, accepting the need to rest once they arrived. Again, Yuuki, as the most powerful of the Genin, carried a large scroll, much like the ones Tenten, the wife of the Hyuuga clan leader Neji used. Like those, it was filled with summoning marks for large amounts of various weapons and equipment.

They didn't talk about much while they travelled, except for loosely considering some strategies and scenarios for their upcoming fight.

On the fourth day after their departure, they crossed the border of the Land of Forests, and near evening, they linked up with the other team. There was much bickering.

* * *

**Preview**

Kara [enraged]: How didn't I get any screentime again!? This is… [getting shut up]

Kuroyuuki [pushing somebody into the closet]: Ken, do you have a key?

Ken [presenting key]: Sure, here. [locks up closet, noises from within]

Kuroyuuki [innocent]: Do you hear something?

Ken [oblivious]: No. Why?

Rei [panting]: Sorry I'm late! Hey, is Kara here? Her shoes are near the entrance.

Kuroyuuki, Ken [unison]: No. [noises from the closet]

Rei [happily]: Okay then. My turn today, I guess. Where's Takeri?

Takeri [sleepy]: …

Rei [relieved]: Ah, there she is. Very well then…

[A forest clearing at night, Kara yelling at Kuroyuuki, he stands up and glares at her]

Rei [disapproving]: Unsurprisingly, there are some difficulties in working together with Team Shino. I hope we can put them aside at least this once.

[Lightly armored soldiers with long metal rods taking formation in a forest, a cloaked ninja giving them orders]

Rei [serious]: Our enemy is well organized, and getting them to break up isn't going to be easy.

[Takeri and Kuroyuuki setting the forest on fire with jutsu, an explosion, Ken and Rei attacking confused soldiers, Yugao facing off against a cloaked kunoichi]

Rei [confident]: But they're not the only ones who are well organized. I just hope Team Shino doesn't hold the Jonin back.

Yuuki [confused]: Tell me, why did you do the preview this time?

Rei [smiling]: I also have to show off my grim warrior side sometimes.

Yuuki [startled]: You have one!?

Rei [drooping]: See? And there I thought I had a reputation.

Ken [deadpan]: Rei, you're probably the most domestic of the Genin from our generation.

Rei [horrified]: I'm domestic!?

Ken [ninja-ing]: Next time on "A Love Forever" – **Chapter 7: Trial by Fire**

Rei [drooping]: You stole my line… and you forgot to use an announcer voice.

Ken [smug]: Oh. My bad.

Rei [suspicious]: Ken, are you up to something?

Ken [grand]: No, but Takeri is!

Takeri [dozing off]: …

Ken [deflated]: Well, I think so.

Rei [confused]: Huh?


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Romance